I was thinking about these paradigms, didactic, authentic, and transformative, and I ran into this important policy document from the Philippines MATATAG Curriculum back in 2023. It says this.

The MATATAG curriculum is designed to focus on foundational skills, reduce congestion in learning areas, and give greater emphasis to socio-emotional skills, values, and citizenship education to produce holistically developed learners.

Department of Education, Philippines

This quote from the policy shows how social goals get built right into the changes they're making to the curriculum. You can see the didactic side in the push for foundational skills. Basic reading, math, and key knowledge stay at the center of it all. The authentic part shows up in the attention to socio-emotional skills and values. That ties learning to real people experiences and daily life stuff. And the transformative aim comes through in the focus on citizenship and overall development. It empowers students to succeed in their own lives. But also to help build their communities and the country.

The policy text does a solid job laying out a balanced view that pulls together knowledge, skills, and values. It makes clear that education goes beyond just school subjects. It's about creating citizens who are responsible and can adapt.

But here's the thing, it lacks specifics on how all this will actually happen in classrooms. Like, how will teachers get the support to move between didactic, authentic, and transformative methods. The ideas sound good. Still, putting them into action is the hard part. That means training for teachers, getting the right resources, and keeping assessments steady.

In these interesting times, policies like this remind us that good education means being flexible with these teaching styles. You teach the core knowledge first. Then connect it to real-life realities. And inspire students to change their societies for the better.

https://www.deped.gov.ph/matatagcurriculumk147/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383735652_Basic_Education_Curriculum_under_the_Newly_Implemented_K_to_10_MATATAG_Curriculum_in_the_Philippines_The_Case_of_Science_Education