A didactic model for teaching social studies: Contributing to rich tasks

(Publisert i Nordidactica nr 1, 2025)                                          Les artikkelen her

This  article  proposes  a  didactic  model  for  teaching  social  studies, presenting selected  didactic  categories  that  support  teaching  rich tasks.  Rich tasks exhibit characteristics such as purposeful connections to the world beyond the  classroom and offer  diverse  opportunities to cater  to the  different needs  of students.  The didactic relation model for lesson planning (Hiim & Hippe, 1998; 2006) serves as a framework offering tools for planning and reflection on teaching to facilitate students’ learning and studying. Drawing on Klafki’s theory of categorical Bildung and didactics, the  new  model  aims  to  explore  how  rich  tasks  can  be  merged  with categorical Bildung in teaching. It emphasizes how ‘why’ questions related to the educator’s ability to analyse subject content can be related to the students’ lifeworld. Additionally, the article outlines and discusses key didactic categories applicable to teaching rich tasks in social studies.