On the History of the "Pädagogische Lesungen" in the GDR, 1952 -1989

Project Description

The practice reports, written by pedagogues for pedagogues, are reconstructed in terms of a “pedagogical movement” in the area of further training in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Historical archival sources from the BBF and sources from the Federal Archive in Berlin serve to trace the educational and school political conditional contexts underlying the intensive promotion of reports on the “good experiences“ of so-called “pacemakers” and “teacher researchers” which were taken to be “worth being generalized”. The study focuses on organizational-structural conditions and staff responsibilities as well as the function and use of the pedagogical lectures in the different further training institutions. An in-depth analysis then focuses on the case study of music instruction: How are questions and issues concerning the content of lesson orientations documented in the lectures and the design of lessons, and how are transformations of professional contents and of school-related knowledge bases reflected?

The doctoral thesis aims at tapping and describing the pedagogical lectures as a source that is relevant for historical research. Moreover, it intends to contribute to shedding light on the aspect of their role in the education system of the GDR.

Related Projects

• "Experiences of the Best" – The Unique Collection of Pedagogical Lectures at the BBF

Project Management

• Josefine Wähler, M.A.

Project Details