Didactic—Being didactic means to spell things out explicitly but perhaps a little too laboriously, or to present a view of what’s true or right or moral but in a way that might at times seem dogmatic. So, the teacher tells and the learner listens. Didactic teaching turns on what the teacher says rather than what the learner does. The balance of agency weighs heavily towards the teacher. The teacher is in command of knowledge. His or her mission is to transmit this knowledge to learners, and learners, it is hoped, dutifully absorb the knowledge laid before them by the teacher.
Authentic—Learning that is authentic is not merely abstract and formal as are the ‘disciplines’ of didactic pedagogy. Instead, it sets out to be of relevance to the lives of learners and to have demonstrably practical uses. It is authentic insofar as it is learner- or child-centred, true to the interests and motivations of the learner in preference to the dictates of the teacher, syllabus and textbook. It is also is authentic for its focus on truly internalised understanding over formal correctness.
Transformative—Transformative education is based on a reading of contemporary society, or the kinds of capacities for knowing that children need to develop in order to be good workers in a ‘knowledge economy’, participating citizens in a globalised cosmopolitan society, and balanced personalities in a society that affords a range of choices that at times seem overwhelming. The essence of education is transformation of self and environment, which may be pragmatic (enabling learners to do their best in the given social conditions) or emancipatory (making the world a better place).
Architectonic—the physical settings of schools, their buildings and the spaces in which teachers teach and learners learn.
Discursive—the ways in which we communicate with each other using language in schools.
Intersubjective—the ways in which the teachers and learners relate, expressing their wills, motivations, interests and drives. How much space the learner has to express him- or-herself, or comply with the commands of the teacher.
Socio-cultural—the life experiences, social backgrounds and cultures that teachers and learners come from; the pressures exerted on them to be the same or the opportunities to build upon their diversity.
Proprietary—the patterns of ownership and control of knowledge and action between teachers and learners.
Epistemological—the ways in which we know.
Pedagogical—the ways in which we learn.
Moral—the values and social meanings that underlie our thoughts, words and actions.