ABSTRACT
Following a more detailed critique of the self and other relation, the process of how children learn existentially is now framed by an understanding of the German educational process, Bildung. Originally attributed to eighteenth-century educationalist Wilhem von Humboldt, Bildung is viewed as the continuous movement of the relation of self and other for an ongoing, emerging and developing self. It is suggested that over and above meeting targets, learning as Bildung concerns the development of the contingent self within the educational context. Yet Bildung per se does not allow us to consider learning beyond the self and other relation, merely within. Thus, the educational movement Repetition, proposed by Kierkegaard, allows the learner to both draw on and transcend historical (educational) structures and contexts. It is proposed here that the dialectical relation of Bildung and Repetition, termed ‘Bildung’s repetition,’ might inspire learning beyond (without negating) measurable objectives so that pedagogy might inspire authentic, holistic, critical and self-aware learners.
