Core Curriculum: Strategies for Searching for a Lesson Model in Social and Civic Education, and Its Criteria

Abstract

"Best Practice" performances of model curricula and lessons/units (Lehrstücke) – do they exist in social and civic education? This article demonstrates eight strategies and concepts of the subject throughout history in order to identify a tradition. Those model curricula are based on different levels of general education according to Wolfgang Klafki: 'Fundamental', 'Exemplary', 'Typical', 'Classical', and 'Representative'. The so-called paradigm of categorical conflict didactics (kategoriale Konfliktdidaktik) leads to a logical core curriculum which enables students to discover and reflect the processes of decision-making in everyday democracy which are value based. Three modes of acting out this grammar and the logic of politics in the classroom are shown. Development of such lesson models is especially recommended as a pragmatic strategy of medium-term curriculum reform in periods of public financial shortage to maintain standards in social studies education.