The Moral Role of Pedagogy as the Science and Art of Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to present the key concepts and actors in peda- gogy and didactics in the context of institutional teaching. We present a holistic approach to education and view human beings as lifelong learners who need to be educated comprehensively to actualize their full potential. In this chapter we discuss how pedagogy, the science and art of teaching, can promote the educa- tional goals identified in the curriculum. In this chapter we adhere to the Didaktik curriculum tradition in which values and morals are emphasized in guiding the teaching-studying-learning process. This means that pedagogy is moral in nature, and the teacher’s main task is to reflect the values underlying her teaching and the purposes she wants to advance in her teaching. We also discuss the current peda- gogical challenges in both basic and higher education in educating students for the twenty-first century.