I start with John Dewey's bold idea that school expresses the practical dimension of a nation's societal philosophy (Dewey 1916/1966, Chapter 24). He constructs learning as experience based research and thus justifies the close connection of societal philosophy and schooling. My second point will be methodological in nature. Comparing the different practices of teaching and learning and of didactics in Europe and worldwide will allow us to develop a sensitive approach towards theory construction in didactics. Thirdly I will show that an antinomy in Comenius’ didactical programme(Comenius 1654/1934) can be better understood in the light of the dialectical didactic theory of Lothar Klingberg (1987). In his theory, the teachers guiding role and the students’ self-regulation of learning happen at the same time, are coexistent even though they contradict each other. An adequate dialectical description of the instructional process however does not suffice for the theoretical foundation of Bildung. In order to explicate this problem, I will present Wolfgang Klafki’s categorial theory of Bildung. He writes that Bildung is a phenomenon in which we realize “the unity of a subjective (formal) and an objective (material) moment” (Klafki 1959/1963, p. 297). I will criticize this definition and contrast it with other present-day conceptions of Bildung. Hans-Christoph Koller (2013) and others understand Bildung as a transformative process which allows students to develop their self-concepts and their world views and thus fosters their emancipation. The fourth step is a comparative one. If, in the German setting, emancipation is the ultimate goal of education and of schooling in particular, then it must make sense to read didactical theorising in other countries and to look for the central didactical concepts there. I take Gérard Sensevy’s general didactics (Sensevy 2011) as my example and find harmony but also surprises. Sensevy develops an epistemologically founded didactic theory which finds a pragmatic closure similar to what the German didacticians propose. But the way towards that end is different. Sensevy introduces a basic distinction of contract and milieu, and, last but not least, he develops his programme without the need for a concept of Bildung. In my fifth and last step I will present lesson planning schemes on the basis of the didactical programmes of Comenius, Klafki, Klingberg and Sensevy. They will hopefully allow a fruitful discussion about theory construction in didactics.

Comenius, Johannes Amos, (1657/1957): “Didactica magna”. In: Opera Didactica Omnia. Vol. I. Prague: Czech Academy of Sciences, main editor Otocar Chlup: 1–196. Comenius, John Amos, (1657/1896). “Didactica magna”. Translation into English: M. W. Keatinge (1896) Oxford: Facsimile reproduction Kessinger Publishing’s Rare Mystical Reprints (without year and place). Dewey, John, (1916 / 1966). Democracy and Education. New York: The Free Press/Macmillan Publishing Co. and London: Collier Macmillan Publishers. Koller, Hans-Christoph, (2012). Bildung anders denken. Einführung in die Theorie transformatorischer Bildungsprozesse. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Meyer, Meinert A. (2008): Unterrichtsplanung aus der Perspektive der Bildungsgangforschung. In: Meinert Meyer u.a. (Hrsg.): Perspektiven der Didaktik. Wiesbaden. S. 117 - 138. Sonderheft 9 der Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, Wiesbaden. Sensevy, Gérard, (2011): Le sens du savoir. Élements pour une théorie de l*action conjointe en didactique. Group de boeck, rue des Minimes 39, Brussels