This volume presents a mix of translations of classical and modern papers from the German Didaktik tradition, newly prepared essays by German scholars and practitioners writing from within the tradition, and interpretive essays by U.S. scholars. It brings this tradition, which virtually dominated German curricular thought and teacher education until the 1960s when American curriculum theory entered Germany--and which is now experiencing a renaissance--to the English-speaking world, where it has been essentially unknown.

The intent is to capture in one volume the core (at least) of the tradition of Didaktik and to communicate its potential relevance to English-language curricularists and teacher educators. It introduces a theoretical tradition which, although very different in almost every respect from those we know, offers a set of approaches that suggest ways of thinking about problems of reflection on curricular and teaching praxis (the core focus of the tradition) which the editors believe are accessible to North American readers--with appropriate "translation." These ways of thinking and related praxis are very relevant to notions such as reflective teaching and the discourse on teachers as professionals. By raising the possibility that the "new" tradition of Didaktik can be highly suggestive for thinking through issues related to a number of central ideas within contemporary discourse--and for exploring the implications of these ideas for both teacher education and for a curriculum theory appropriate to these new contexts for theorizing, this book opens up a gold mine of theoretical and practical possibilities.

About the Author
Westbury, Ian; Hopmann, Stefan; Riquarts, Kurt

Reviews

"Needless to say, the book is edited very carefully. The scientific apparatus (information about the authors, information about the texts, references, etc.) is in perfect shape; an author and a subject index complete this picture....The classical texts have been translated very well."
-Teachers and Teaching

"This book is on the cutting edge of thinking in the field of curriculum and teacher education....It will stand alone. I see it making a very important primary contribution."
-Dorothy Vasquez-Levy
University of Virginia

"There is much interest in the United States in Didaktik, but little descriptive material is available in English. This text will correct that deficiency....It is strong in terms of topic, significance, reputation of authors, and relevance to contemporary English-language work on curriculum and teacher education....and is a distinctive contribution to the 'Studies in Curriculum Theory' series."
-Gary D (NO PERIOD AFTER "D" as per Fernstermacher) Fenstermacher
University of Michigan

Book Information
ISBN 9781138983670
Author Ian Westbury
Format Paperback
Page Count 360
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 476g