educationalthat

Educationalthat is a coined term in educational theory used to describe a hypothetical pedagogical framework. The name fuses “educational” with the deictic that to emphasize precise identification of what students are expected to learn and the referents those tasks point to. It is not an established discipline concept but a thought experiment used to discuss alignment among objectives, instruction, and assessment.

Core ideas of educationalthat include three pillars: clarity of learning targets (the that students should master), alignment of teaching activities with those targets, and assessment that directly measures attainment of the targets. Proponents argue that this focus supports transparency for students and instructors, reduces ambiguity in task design, and enables targeted feedback and adaptive instruction.

Applications of the concept have been discussed in curriculum design, classroom planning, and educational technology. In schools, educationalthat could guide backward design and mastery learning by making the desired outcomes explicit in every unit. In online platforms, it might inform algorithmic personalization by using clearly defined learning targets to tailor content and assessments.

Critics view educationalthat as duplicative of existing frameworks such as backward design or outcomes-based education. They caution that vagueness around what counts as a “that” and how it is validated could hamper implementation. Nevertheless, the term serves as a reminder of the central role of clearly defined, measurable learning aims in effective pedagogy.