The teacher guidance landscape in Denmark

Abstract

Teacher guides for didactic learning materials are an overlooked object of study in teaching aid research. This article presents an analytical model for teacher guides that focuses on an overall characteristic of the teaching aid, the didactic coverage of the teacher guide, i.e. whether there is guidance for the teacher at the course level around key didactic tasks and choices, as well as whether and in what ways the teachers’ guide invites the teacher to didactic reflection. The analysis model is demonstrated through sample analyses of a total of 22 didactic learning materials aimed at three school subjects: Danish, Christian studies and history. The analyses are synthesized within each of the three subjects and put into perspective in relation to a characteristic of the subject and previous research on the use of didactic learning materials within the subjects. In addition, differences and similarities are highlighted across the three disciplines. The purpose of the article has implications for teaching aid manufacturers, practitioners and teacher education, as the teacher's guide can, to a greater or lesser extent, function as a support for the teacher and as a source of subject didactic updating and reflection.