The paper addresses the question of what we should make of Michael Young's recent work with respect to curriculum theory by considering the particular case of South African curriculum reform. The paper thus traces two trajectories: the evolution of Michael Young's ideas over time and South African curriculum reform in the post-apartheid period.…

In this paper, following some brief introductory remarks, I provide a context to this Symposium by presenting a brief autobiographical account explaining how I became involved in curriculum theory and the idea of a knowledge-led curriculum and how I was led to write the paper under discussion. I then make brief comments on each of the six papers…

There has been a growing interest in the European "Didaktik" tradition as part of a process of "internationalizing" curriculum studies. Kruger provides useful insights into some aspects of "Didaktiek" in South Africa. However, the essay does not contextualize this tradition within the broader history of South African…

In his response to Kruger, Le Grange claims that: (1) the South African discourse of fundamental pedagogics was closely allied with Christian National Education and functioned as a powerful educational doctrine in the service of the South African policy of apartheid education; (2) fundamental pedagogics bracketed political discourse; (3) the…

The "elemental" refers to the essentials of the contents that make them accessible to a child. The effects on a child of contents that are mastered are the "fundamental". In a fruitful didactic unlocking (presentation) it is possible for a child to achieve considerably more insight than merely an understanding of the learning…

A case study of the Science Education Project, aimed at improving South African science education, revealed that tactics for in-service education identified as important for the success of educational innovations in developed countries are also appropriate in developing countries. However, the context of the developing country gives rise to…