Harald Jørgensen:

The reflective practiser. A didactic theory of practice

Regarding instrumental music practising as a teaching activity, because practising students have to behave like teachers in planning and executing an activity of (self-) instruction, this chapter develops a didactic theory of practising. It discusses three traditions of didactic theories and their relevance as a foundation for a theory of practising. The first is the German "Bildungs-didaktische" tradition, the second is the "means-end" tradition, and the third is the German "Lehrtheoretische" tradition. Using this last tradition as a foundation, a didactic "structure model" for the practising situation is described. Here, the main elements are three frame factors (the person, the instrument, and the social environment); five decision areas (aims and intentions, content, media, methods and time); and one learning outcome area (quality of performance). The purpose of the model is to serve as a vehicle for reflection on practising.