Didactic Compass: navigating high-quality teaching and learning

How can education professionals make well-informed didactic choices for different learners, learning goals and contexts? The Didactic Compass turns scientific knowledge into a practical framework for high-quality education.

Research theme: Learning and developing school together

Field of interest: Education

Duration: 1/03/2026 - 31/12/2028

Financing: Andere

Interested in the practical application of these insights?

Attend the professional development course From Minimum Goals to Maximum Impact: Collaborating on Knowledge-Rich Primary Education.

Learn how effective pedagogy, knowledge-rich education, and well-considered instructional choices can be translated into classroom and school practice.

More about this course (Dutch)

In short

The Didactic Compass is a framework for high-quality educational practice, grounded in scientific literature. It supports current and future education professionals in making deliberate, evidence-informed and context-sensitive didactic choices.

The research brings together fundamental frameworks, scientifically supported didactic principles and different didactic models. This creates a shared language for designing, delivering and evaluating education.

Need and relevance

Which didactic approach is most suitable for specific learners, learning goals and circumstances? This question is central to the research.

Education professionals can draw on a wide range of didactic models and scientific insights. The Didactic Compass brings this knowledge together in one coherent framework. Rather than prescribing what education professionals should do, it supports professional judgement, reflection and communication.

The framework can be used across:

teacher education;
schools and educational practice;
educational organisations;
education policy.

From approach to impact

Based on scientific literature, the research team develops a coherent and sustainable conceptual framework. This forms the basis for:

a concise one-page overview;
a visual and interactive Didactic Compass;
a shared conceptual framework for teacher education, practice and policy.

By making scientific knowledge accessible and applicable, the Didactic Compass strengthens evidence-informed education. It helps education professionals substantiate their didactic choices, discuss them with others and systematically reflect on high-quality educational practice.