HOW TO DESIGN A DIDACTIC SEQUENCE.

Diaz- Barriga, A. (2013). Como elebaroar una Secuencia Didáctica. Material didáctico. Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México.
Adapted and translated by: Prof. Mahly J: Martinez
The elaboration of a didactic sequence is an important task to organize learning situations that will be
developed by pre service teacher’s trainees. The contemporary didactic debate emphasizes that the
teacher's responsibility to propose to their students sequenced activities that allow establishing a learning
climate, that is the meaning of the expression currently in vogue in the didactic debate: centered on
learning and on the student. The students learn by what they do, by the significance of the activity carried
out, by the possibility of integrating new information in previous conceptions that he possesses, by the
ability he achieves by verbalizing the reconstruction of the information before others (the class).
The sequences constitute an organization of the learning activities that will be carried out with the
students and for the students in order to create situations that allow them to develop significant learning.
For this reason, it is important to emphasize that it cannot be reduced to a form to fill in the blanks, it is an
instrument that demands knowledge of the subject, understanding of the study program and the
experience and pedagogical vision of the teacher, as well as their possibilities of conceive activities “for”
student learning. To accompany the pre service teacher trainees and teachers in this permanent
responsibility, we present a guide that will allow the construction of didactic sequences that respond to
this didactic perspective.
In order to have a general orientation that helps to locate the didactic sequence within the framework of a
set of tasks that are carried out in what we generically call didactic planning. In this sense, these elements
have only an indicative character, since ultimately each teacher has to structure their work according to
their vision and educational purposes.
The didactic sequence is the result of establishing a series of learning activities that have an internal order
among themselves, with this part of the teaching intention of recovering those previous notions that
students have about a fact, link it to problematic situations and real contexts so that the information that
the student will access in the development of the sequence is significant, that is, makes sense and can
open a learning process, the sequence demands that the student do things, not routine or monotonous
exercises, but actions that link their previous knowledge and experiences, with some question that comes
from the real and with information about an object of knowledge. The structure of the sequence is
integrated with two elements that are carried out in parallel: the sequence of activities for learning and the
evaluation for learning inscribed in those activities.
The didactic sequences is made up of three types of activities: opening, development and closing
activities. In this proposal of activities underlie simultaneously a perspective of formative evaluation,
(Scallon, 1988) which allows feedback on the process by observing the progress, challenges and
difficulties that students present in their work, as well as summative evaluation, which offers evidence of
learning.
OPENING ACTIVITIES
The meaning of the opening activities is varied, at first, they allow to open the learning dynamic. if the
teacher manages to ask them to work with a problem of reality, or, to open a discussion in small groups
on a question that starts from significant questions for the students, they will react by bringing to their
thoughts various information that they already they possess, either because of their previous school
education or because of their daily experience. Establishing opening activities in the topics (not in each
class session) constitutes a challenge for the teacher, because as a teacher it is easier for him to think
about the topics or ask the students to say that they remember a topic, than to work with a problem that
constitutes an intellectual challenge for students.
The opening activity does not need to be carried out only in the classroom, it can be developed from a
task that students are asked to do, such as: doing interviews, searching for information on the Internet or
in the newspapers, searching against examples of a topic, search for information on an established
problem, search for information on YouTube or on the internet. However, the results of these or other
activities will have to be worked on between the students in some part of the class session. These
activities can be done individually or in small groups. Depending on the number of students in the
classroom, an exchange activity can be carried out between working groups on what they found, asking
two or three groups to tell all your classmates about your work and reflections. Opening activities should
not present content of the class.
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
Content development activities are intended for the student to interact with new information. We affirm
that there is interaction because the student has a series of prior knowledge —to a greater or lesser extent
adequate and/or sufficient— on a subject, from which they can give sense and meaning to information.
The source of the information can be diverse: a teaching presentation, a discussion about a reading, a
video of academic origin, the resources that the teacher can use are also very varied, you can use
applications that your students can access, if the teacher uses some site for information reservoir (Moodle,
Google Drive, Chrome, among others) can be supported by it. Even with the support of ICT, it is feasible
to offer different access to information to students so that they have elements to discuss different
explanations or statements about a topic.
In these cases, it is advisable to support the students' discussion with certain guiding questions. During the
content development activities, the teacher can make a presentation about the main concepts, theories, and
skills. Not necessarily all these activities have to be carried out in the classroom, but it is convenient that
the tasks carried out by the Students are not limited to performing routine exercises or exercises of little
significance. The ability to think about exercises or problem tasks constitutes in itself a motivational
possibility for students. Two moments are relevant in development activities, intellectual work with
information and the use of that information in a problem situation. The problem can be real or formulated
by the teacher, the problem can be part of a broader course work project, it is important that it is not
limited to a school application of the information, to answer a questionnaire about the text or do exercises
that come in school textbooks, but it is convenient that this application of information is meaningful. For
this reason, linking it with a case, problem or project may have more relevance for the student.
CLOSING ACTIVITIES
The closing activities are carried out in order to achieve an integration of the set of tasks carried out, they
allow a synthesis of the process and the learning developed. A Through them, it is sought that the student
manages to rework the conceptual structure that he had at the beginning of the sequence, reorganizing his
thought structure based on the interactions that he has generated with the new questions and the
information to which he had access. These synthesis activities may consist of reconstructing information
from certain questions, do exercises that involve using information to resolve specific situations (the more
unusual and challenging the better). They can be done individually or in small groups, because the
important thing is that students have a space for intellectual action and communication and dialogue
among their peers. In the case of working by cases, projects or problems, it can be the progress of a
previously planned stage.
As in the other cases, not all the closing activities must necessarily be carried out in the classroom,
sometimes this can be part of the actions that are demanded of prior to class and can even be the subject
of activities after class, when they can materialize in performances, exhibitions or various forms of
exchange between students. In some way, the closing activities enable an evaluation perspective for the
teacher and the student, both in the formative and summative sense. In this way the proposed activities
can generate multiple information both about the students' learning process and to obtain evidence of
learning.
Simultaneously, it is possible to analyze what is being achieved, as well as the deficiencies and
difficulties found in the students and in the group in general. This allows us to assess the degree to which
the students can advance in the course, as well as the difficulties faced by their learning process (previous
skills and knowledge), as well as the commitment they assume with their responsibility to learn. In the
event that the teacher asks his students to integrate a portfolio of evidence, several of these activities can
be incorporated into it. According to the intellectual processes that the teacher opened in the sequence can
structure some of his questions. The teacher can rely on the various applications that he knows to perform
this action. He can even demand that the students propose an activity to socialize the evidence they have
obtained in their work.
ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES
Assessment for learning is a complex activity. As has been stated, it can be conceived as soon as the
purpose, purpose and objective of the sequence is specified, even since the course in general or the
corresponding thematic unit is thought. It is necessary to link the two lines of work in an articulated
manner: the construction of sequences, with the construction evaluation evidence, the latter fulfilling a
formative evaluation function with summative evaluation.
Starting from a problem, case or project is an element that helps to conceive the evaluation evidence that
can be recorded in each learning sequence. The important thing is to consider that if learning requires
linking new information with previous knowledge and, if starting from the idea of working with elements
of reality, constructed as problem situations, cases or projects, the evaluation actions must also reflect this
articulation between information and real situations.
In all cases, the final evaluation (summative) is the result of the integration of multiple pieces of
evidence: resolution of the problem or case; presentation of partial advances; presentation of certain types
of tests or exercises linked to specific situations; and even exams (as long as they require the completion
of a complex task that is not limited to the mere repetition of information). What is important in the
structure of the evaluation is that it is carried out closely linked to the purposes of the course and is
anchored in the didactic sequences. All evidence of evaluation fulfills a didactic function, since in the first
place it serves to provide feedback on the learning process carried out by the student, while for the teacher
it constitutes a possibility to question what is working in the development of the course, a sequence, or an
activity. Analyze the reasons why students show certain performances to reorient the course of the actions
carried out in the course, therefore it fulfills a formative function.
References
Díaz-Barriga, A (1984) Didáctica y Curriculum. Articulaciones en los programas de estudios. México,
Nuevomar. (Hay edición en Paidós corregida y aumentada desde 1996)
Díaz-Barriga, A. (2006) El docente y los programas de estudio. México, IISUE-UNAM-Bonilla.
Díaz-Barriga, Arceo, F (2004) Enseñanza situada. México, McGraw Hill

Rubric to Evaluate the Didactic sequence

Criteria 2 1.5 1 0 Tot

Exceeds Meets Needs Does Not al
Expectatio Expectations Improvem Meet
ns ent Expectation
s
General All the The general There is No general
informatio general information about some informatio
n of the information the class is informati n in the
class. about the covered from a on didactic
class is fully general missing in sequence
covered. perspective (e.g. the
level education template.
but not the grade).
Problem The problem or The problem or The problem or The problem or
observed teaching situation is teaching situation teaching teaching
fully described, is mainly situation is situation is not
skills addressed with described, skills briefly well described.
the appropriate addressed in more described, There is not
length (100 words) or less 100 words. skills addressed mentioning of
in more or less skills addressed.
100 words.
TITLE of Title is clear Title just General Title vague
the didactic & creative. reflect Title or missing
sequence contents given

Learning Observable, relates Observable Objectives Objectives

goals to problem relates just to given unclear or not
observed and skills content related to
addressed. content.
Activities Meaningful, Objective based, Objective Activity limited
motivating, student- based, or does not
student centered, centered. Some does not relate to
objective- based, activities are not following learning
lesson moment appropriate for the objective,
based (opening – the moment of moment moment, and
content instruction. based theoretical
development – principle. framework.
closing)
Resources & Creative resources Variety of Resources and Resources and
materials and materials resources material material limited
connect to “real included, included in a or not
world” & variety connected to general way. included
based on content content but not
and theoretical theoretical
framework. framework.
Evaluation Variety of Both pupil and Includes Limited or no
assessment teacher teacher or assessment
strategies assessment pupil strategies
included & included assessment included
 consistent with strategies
objectives
Organization Well-planned, Organized, Some Minimal or
and quality sequential, sequential organization no
clearly organizatio
organized, n and
thorough developme
development nt
Theoretical The didactic The didactic The didactic There is
framework sequence is sequence is aligned sequence is not clear
fully aligned with the partially aligned theoretical
with the pedagogical model with the framework
pedagogical chosen. There are pedagogical for the
model chosen. It some incongruences model chosen. didactic
is well with the More than two sequence.
supported by pedagogical models elements are not
authors, and principles. related to the
clearly pedagogical
connected to the model chosen. .
pedagogical
model
principles.
Grammar, The information The information The The information
language use, is clearly stated, fulfills most information does not fulfill
writing. fulfilling academic academic writing does not fulfill most academic
writing standards standards (APA most academic writing
(APA rules). rules). There are writing standards (APA
There are not few punctuation, standards rules). There are
major punctuation, spelling and (APA rules). many
spelling and grammar mistakes. There are some punctuation,
grammar punctuation, spelling and
mistakes. spelling and grammar
grammar mistakes. Ideas
mistakes. are not clearly
stated
GRADE