Barcelona + didactics + CRM = CITAD 8

The conference is fully embedded in the study of the processes of teaching, learning and the transmission of knowledge. In this sense, holding CITAD 8 at the CRM strengthens the dialogue between mathematical research and educational reflection, while highlighting the Centre’s openness to hosting interdisciplinary scientific events.

A space to reflect on research in didactics

Under the title Research praxeologies in the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic, CITAD 8 aimed primarily to provide an updated overview of advances in ATD, both in terms of basic research and its links with education systems and teacher education. The conference also addressed the main open problems in the field, as well as the challenges involved in extending the conceptual and methodological frameworks of ATD to other domains.

One of the cross-cutting themes of the conference was the reflection on research praxeologies: how research is conducted within ATD, which conceptual tools are mobilised, and what specific characteristics this theoretical framework presents when applied to diverse contexts.

Three scientific axes

The scientific programme of the conference was structured around three main axes:

• Axis 1. Society and the curriculum problem: questioning works, focusing on the analysis of the curriculum as a dynamic object, subject to historical, institutional and epistemological transformations. This axis included descriptive, retrospective and prospective studies on the selection and organisation of the content to be taught, as well as on processes of didactic transposition.
• Axis 2. Society and the curriculum problem: enriching and questioning the world, devoted to exploring the so-called paradigm of questioning the world in educational institutions. Contributions analysed the conditions that enable—or hinder—the existence of teaching practices based on inquiry, the study of open questions, and the articulation of different domains of knowledge.
• Axis 3. The professions, focusing on the professionalisation of teaching and, more broadly, on professional education in diverse contexts. This axis addressed contemporary social changes—such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence and ecological transition—and the role that ATD can play in understanding and accompanying these transformations.

Key figures and international debate

The conference featured the participation of leading international researchers in the field of didactics. Among them, special mention should be made of Yves Chevallard, founder of the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic, whose contribution was one of the highlights of the conference and generated extensive theoretical and methodological discussion.

The diversity of the participants’ institutional and geographical backgrounds enriched the debates and further consolidated CITAD 8 as a high-level international forum.

A space for early-career researchers

As in previous editions, the conference included a seminar specifically devoted to PhD students, held on the first day. This seminar provided doctoral students with the opportunity to present their research projects and discuss them with experienced researchers, fostering intergenerational exchange and academic mentoring.

For the CRM, it was an honour to host CITAD 8, a conference with a long-standing international trajectory that reinforces the Centre’s commitment to high-quality research, scientific exchange and openness to diverse disciplines and approaches. The event also highlights Barcelona’s role as a meeting point for international educational and scientific reflection.