The context of differential didactics

Abstract

The didactic act requires the existence of a teacher, a learner, a method and instructive content when this reality is analyzed, arise specifications which are worthwhile studying : when speaking of the typology of the subjects, we speak of special didactics; when the learning system of each student is studied, with his potentials and interests, we talk about personalized didactics; if we look at the profile of a group of students, posessing a common characteristic which condition the planing and the instructive process, we found ourselves immersed in the world of differential didactics. It is necessary to distinguish between “differential”, and “differentiated”,. The first concept refers to groups, and the second to individuals. Nowever there is a meeting point: when instruction is ajusted to the whole group, there arise a moment when some students with more pontentials andlor are more interested, cover in less time the rest of the basic or obligatory objectives. Beginning that moment, it is necessary to adapt teaching to different individuals, with which we come nearer to the concept of differentiate instruction. Hence, it stars with differential group instruction and ends up being differentiated-individual and personalized. There are several differential aspects: but if we search for the reality, here and now, the following apear more clearly: I . The age determine a differential didactic structure and it moves from the pre-school till the permanent education and of adults. 2. The cultural level which divide the students in classes due to school performance. The educational institution does not succeed in eliminating the differences; and will not eliminate it as long as it does not adopt a differential plan. 3. The life situation, rural or urban, is another differential component which is not considered neither by oficial. programmes nor the schools organizations or orientations. I The fundamental problem of differential didactics is the tendency to generalize situations and differentiate only groups for its political, religious, moral beliefs ot pertaining to whatever manifestation of the “doxa”.