TNTEE Publications - Didaktik/Fachdidaktik

Preface
This publication arises from the work of Subnetwork E of the Thematic Network of Teacher Education
in Europe (TNTEE) “Didaktik/Fachdidaktik as science (-s) of the teaching profession?” and also of
the SOCRATES European Module “Didaktik”. It is based upon collaboration that began at a TNTEE
symposium at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) that was held in Frankfurt
in September 1997. This meeting was followed by a seminar in Linz in March 1998 and by a further
series of meetings of the group at the TNTEE Conference in Lisbon in May 1999. The first section
of the book (chapters 1 to 9) focuses on Didaktik (General Didactics) and more general issues
whilst in the second section (chapters 10 to 15) the discussion centres on Fachdidaktik (Subject
Didactics) in particular subject areas such as mathematics, science, mother tongue, foreign languages
and civics education. The final section (chapters 16 to 19) deals with interdisciplinary issues based
on developments relating to Fachdidaktik in general.
Section I
General Didactics
The first chapter of this book is based upon the original “Invitation for discussion” by Helmut Seel
that was presented at the first two meetings of the group. This framed the initial discussions and
also subsequent developments and accordingly this chapter also frames the overall discussion in
this publication as a result. In this chapter Seel discusses the relationship between “Allgemeine
Didaktik” (General Didactics) and “Fachdidaktik” (Subject Didactics) and draws particular attention
to the importance of the conception of “Bildung” in German pedagogy. It is recognised that the
word Didaktik is not a commonly used term in the language of education in the English speaking
world and that appropriate translations are not simple and straightforward but complex and
problematic. With regard to Bildung this is seen to be central to the “anthropological basics and
foundations” of educational sciences (“Erziehungswissenschatten”) and, it is suggested, might best
be translated as “erudition”. Didaktik itself can be seen as the science whose subject is the planned
(institutionalised and organised) support for learning to acquire Bildung. It is observed that human
beings are born into a culture, a cultural environment, including a social system. Human personality
is developing and shaping in a lifelong process. This development encompasses physical learning
processes in interaction (maturation and decline) as well as psychical learning processes in interaction
with other human beings and in dealing with cultural phenomena such as objects, institutions,
ideas, sciences etc. The acquisition of, and the dealing with, cultural objects are seen as major
aspects of Bildung as a process, which represents a cluster of learning processes. It is also noted
that Bildung may be conceived as “an (intermediate) actual state in the process of personality
development” and also that it can be seen as “an ideal norm”. The learning processes are seen to
lead to an integration of knowledge and rational thinking as “a basis for the competence to judge”,
volition “as a prerequisite for the readiness and ability to decide” and of competence which is
TNTEE Publications Volume 2, Nr 1, October 1999 1