Didaktik as content and form in Teacher Training: Resistance, challenges and possibilities

Abstract

The aim of this article is to, through a pedagogical-philosophical argument, illustrate how didactical perspectives can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the transformative content and pedagogy of teacher education. We begin by discussing the pedagogical challenges both teacher-educators and teacher-students face within teacher education, namely the existential trial of shifting from a pupil perspective to a teacher perspective. By addressing rather than ignoring these challenges, we attempt to show that there is an inherent and potential pedagogy of teacher education. By problematizing the relationship between pedagogy and didactics we illustrate how didactics risk being viewed instrumentally if severed from their pedagogical roots. We then introduce didactical perspectives, rooted in a German speaking tradition and argue that these can be seen as not only appropriate as content for teacher education, but also as a pedagogical point of departure for teacher educators. Finally, we suggest that a university pedagogy with a didactical orientation can attend to the existential transformation from a student to a teacher and give the becoming teachers both relevant knowledge and language for their future practice.