At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, representatives of the politically oppressed middle class in a politically fragmented Germany began to look to education in search for a means of emancipation, with the pedagogical concept of "Bildung" as their central focus. The attractiveness of the concept was also a…

Several decades ago it was shown that the differentiation of pupils into tracks and streams led to a polarization into "anti-school" and "pro-school" cultures. Support for this differentiation-polarization theory is mainly based on case studies. This paper presents findings of a quantitative study in Belgium (Flanders).…

Defines curriculum along with introduction to structural thought. Reviews why the study of curriculum has been so turbulent. Describes the movement to teach structure of the disciplines during the 1960's and analyzes this time frame from the post-structual perspectives of Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida. Summarizes the meaning of curriculum…

Discusses the application of Jungian analytical psychology to education. The author outlines Jung's concepts which relate to the foundations of education, personality development, cognitive processes, motivation, and curriculum theory. (AM)

Presents an overview of changing concerns in British curriculum research since 1950. The discussion covers the role of government agencies in curriculum research, the demand for both practical curriculum evaluation and theoretical models, new directions of study and recent paradigm shifts. (AM)

Explores professionalism, the ideal of service, the professional community, and the epistemology of practice as key dimensions of teacher professionalism. Urges practitioners to consider teaching as an aspiration. Calls for the creation of a community of intellectuals and practitioners in order to develop a basis for practice. (KO)

Describes the main ideas in the work of Dutch mathematician and mathematics educator, Hans Freudenthal (1905-1990), related to curriculum theory and didactics. Explores his idea of mathematics as a human activity and his criticism of education research and theories. Focuses on three aspects of his work. (CMK)

Explores the evolution of the curriculum field during the era of "curriculum renaissance." Addresses the generational bases of the curriculum renaissance, the responses among the current generation of curriculum workers to the renaissance, and the direction the millennial generation is taking the field. Includes references. (CMK)

Argues for an understanding of play as a flux between the imagination and attempts to test consequences of "what if" questions. Discusses leading educational theorists' views of the role of play. Suggests that school authority which reduces creative play closes off children's means of finding answers to some vocational questions. (SG)

Defines the concept of pluralistic education and discusses its goals. Interviews a number of teachers to investigate their conceptions of education and their response to the idea of pluralistic education. Reports that teachers share an affinity with certain aspects of pluralistic education but differ in a number of fundamental ways. (DSK)

Aims to demonstrate effects of teaching practice on teachers' perspectives about teaching. Argues that there is often a mismatch between teachers' explicit beliefs about teaching and practices in which they engage. Suggests that teachers should develop an appreciation of how tensions and stresses of practice inform their beliefs about teaching.…

Provides a conception of critical thinking and the critical thinker, who is characterized by five intellectual resources: background knowledge, operational knowledge of good thinking, knowledge of critical concepts, effective heuristics, and habits of mind. Explains, with examples, each intellectual resource. Discusses the task of teaching…

Examines developments in social and cultural approaches to understanding child development. Focuses on the issue of narrative understanding as an important concept in discussions of how children learn. Offers a rationale for considering narrative understanding as a key aspect of meaning-making and discusses implications for classroom practice.…

The curriculum field in the USA has existed in a chronic state of disarray, even crisis, for many years. This study considers whether the field's "reconceptualization" has alleviated the signs of crisis articulated some 30 years ago by Joseph Schwab. It concludes by suggesting that four issues should be examined in order to establish a vital sense…

Delineates the concepts of character, virtue, vice, and privation which undergird Joseph J. Schwab's 'informing vision,' as discussed in "The Practical 4: Something for Curriculum Professors to Do." States that in explicating the informing vision, the animating spirit needs to be retained. (LS)