The article shows the importance of teachers’ didactical knowledge and thinking from the point of view of the pupils’ modified role and position in the educational process. In the first part the pupils’ role in the educational process is presented. Important are pupils’ creative activity, internal motivation and cooperation during the particular stages of the educational process. In the second part of the article the teacher’s role in the educational process is presented and within this the role of didactics. In theRepublicofSlovenianamely general didactical knowledge is one of the essential components of teacher’s professional education. Therefore didactics is one of the basic general studying subjects in the programmes of teachers’ education. The aim of studying didactics is that students learn about essential didactical knowledge about regularities and characteristics of education and that they develop didactical thinking. In the framework of didactics the students adopt the required knowledge for drafting, modelling, planning, preparing, performing, analysing and evaluating the educational process. Besides they acquire the theoretical basis for researching, innovating and further development of education.

Barr, R., J. Tagg. (1995). From Teaching to Learning – a New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education. Change Magazine, vol. 27, no. 6, p. 13-25. Cvetek, S. (2003). Refleksija in njen pomen za profesionalno usposobljenost učiteljev. Sodobna pedagogika. vol. 54, no. 1, p. 104-121. Javornik, M. (2003). Položaj učenca v učnem procesu. Pedagoška obzorja, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 48-59. Javornik Krečič, M. (2003). Aktivnosti srednješolcev pri obravnavi nove učne snovi. Vzgoja in izobraževanje, vol. 34, no. 6, p. 20-29. Klafki, W. (1994). Didaktika kao teorija obrazovanja u okviru kritičko-konstruktivne znanosti o odgoju. IN: Gudjons, H. (ur.). Didaktičke teorije. Zagreb: Educa, p. 15-33. Knecht- von Martial, I. (1985). Gesichte der Didaktik. Frankfurt: R. G. Fischer. Kramar, M. (1990). Učenci v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu sodobne šole. Radovljica: Didakta. Kramar, M. (1994). Načrtovanje in priprava izobraževalno-vzgojnega procesa. Nova Gorica: Educa. Kvaščev, R. (1980). Sposobnost za učenje i ličnost. Beograd: Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva. Lyotard, J. F. (1986). Das Postmoderne Wissen. Wien: Ein Bericht. Marentič Požarnik, B. (2000b). Psihologija učenja in pouka. Ljubljana: DZS. Marentič Požarnik, B. (2002). Notranja učna motivacija kot pogoj in cilj kakovostnega izobraževanja. Vzgoja in izobraževanje, vol. 33, no. 3, p. 8-14. Marentič Požarnik, B. (2004). Kaj se je dogajalo z učiteljevo strokovno avtonomijo v desetih letih šolske prenove. Sodobna pedagogika, vol. 55, posebna izdaja, str. 34-50. Niemi, H., V. Kohonen. (1995). Towards New Professionalism and Active Learning in Teacher Development. Tampere: Reports from the Department of Teacher Education in Tampere University. Razdevšek Pučko, C. (1997). Zakaj in kako spremeniti izobraževanje učiteljev. V: Izobraževanje učiteljev ob vstopu v tretje tisočletje, stanje – potrebe – rešitve. Ljubljana: Pedagoška fakulteta, p. 19-29. Strmčnik, F. (1996). Učna aktivnost učenca in učitelja. Sodobna pedagogika, vol. 47, no. 3-4, p. 101-114. Strmčnik, F. (2001). Didaktika. Osrednje teoretične teme. Ljubljana: Filozofska fakulteta.