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Curriculum Vitae of Martin Wagenschein


Childhood, youth and school time
December 3, 1896 Born in Giessen. Mother: Anna Wagenschein née Sittig, Father: Raimund Wagenschein, works manager of the Gail brick works in Giessen
1902 - 1914 School time in Giessen
August 13, 1914 "Abitur" at "Grossherzogliches Realgymnasium" in Giessen (Emergency examination caused by the outbreak of World War I)

Study time
August 1914 until 1918 Unfit for military service (cardiac), service to the Red Cross in Giessen
November 7, 1914 Enrolment to the Ludwig-University of Giessen. Subjects: Mathematics, Physics and Geography
Oct. 1914 - Feb. 1915 Trained to be a male nurse by the universitarian eye clinic in Giessen.
Summer term 1918 Studies in Freiburg by the Albert-Ludwigs-University. (Experimental physics, Cartography, Analytical mechanics)
November 29, 1919 Mathematical homework: "About the problem of the continuum according to the book of Hermann Weyl" by Prof. Ludwig Schlesinger
February 23, 1920 1st state examination in mathematics, physics, geography: "very good"
July 29, 1920 Promotion by Prof. Walther Koenig: "Experimentelle Untersuchung über das Mitschwingen einer Kugel in einer schwingenden Flüssigkeits- und Gasmasse". Rated "excellent"
1920 - October 1, 1921 Left for an assistance at the Physical Institute of Giessen University

Beginning teaching
Oct. 10, 1921 - Sept. 30, 1922 Start of pedagogical instruction at the seminar of Realgymnasiums Darmstadt, Practical trainings: 7 weeks Liebig-Oberrealschule in Darmstadt, 3 weeks Oberrealschule in Worms, 5 weeks Augustiner-Schule (junior high-school and high-school) in Friedberg
Oct. 6, 1922 Beginning of a trial year at Giessen Realgymnasium
from Easter 1923 Administration of the post of a master at the Ernst-Ludwig-Schule in Bad Nauheim designed to become a secondary school
Oct. 31, 1923 2nd state examination (Staatspruefung fuer das hoehere Lehramt) Written work "Ueber die Foerderung der sprachlichen Ausdrucksfaehigkeit durch den mathematischen und naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht" (About enhancement of the linguistic expressiveness by mathematical and scientific instruction).
Nov. 8, 1923 Appointment as 'Studienassessor'
Nov. 1923 Engagement to Wera Biermer, daughter of deceased Magnus Biermer, economist (Nationaloekonom)
Easter 1924 Left to the Odenwaldschule
17. May 17, 1924 Marriage to Wera Biermer

Years with Paul Geheeb
1923 - 1930 Left from public service to the Odenwaldschule
Apr. - Oct. 1930 Back into public service (Oberrealschule Mainz)
May 22, 1930 Sworn for public service
Oct. 1930 - Easter 1933 Left again to the Odenwaldschule
1930 "Bildung durch Naturwissenschaft" appears
1932/33 "Naturwissenschaft und Bildung" appears

Serving at public schools
1. Apr. 1, 1933 - Jul. 31, . 1957 Schools in the Darmstadt area
Aug. 1, 1933 to 1945 "Ueberplanmaessiger Studienrat" at the "Ludwigs-Oberrealschule" for boys in Darmstadt
1933 Joining to "Welfare" NSV (Cashier from March until November) and to "Teachers Association" (NSLB)
1933/34 "Zur erzieherischen Aufgabe des mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Unterrichts" appears
Easter 1934 Paul Geheeb emigrates to Switzerland
1935 "Physikalischer Unterricht und Intellektualismus" apears
Summer 1935 Sickbed - in Giessen he writes "Zusammenhaenge der Naturkraefte"
Apr. 1, 1936 Appointed as 'Planmaessiger Studienrat' (Public service)
1937 His first book: "Zusammenhaenge der Naturkraefte" appears by Vieweg, Braunschweig
1938 Joining to NSDAP
(Denazification board of Oct. 28, 1947: "...by practice he empowered his students to judge and thus favored their independent thinking in every respect. ...His pedagogic papers prove that he resisted by consequence and prudence.” Judgement: Group 5, exonerated.)

New foundation after war
Nov. 1945 to 1954 Aufbauschule Traisa
March 22,1950 Appointed as 'Oberstudienrat'
1953 "Natur physikalisch gesehen" appears
1954 to 1957 Schuldorf Bergstrasse
1955 "Die Erde unter den Sternen" appears
1956 "Zum Begriff des Exemplarischen Lehrens" appears
1. August 1957 Premature retire of school service
1962 "Die Paedagogische Dimension der Physik" appears
1965 "Urspruengliches Verstehen und exaktes Denken" volume 1 appears
1967 "Urspruengliches Verstehen und exaktes Denken" volume 2 appears
1970 Institut fuer Film und Bild in Munich edits a tape: "Anmerkungen zum genetischen Prinzip im Physikunterricht"
1975 "Rettet die Phaenomene"; Collaboration with Hugo Kuekelhaus

Universitarian work
Oct. 1, 1949 - 1963 Lectureship at Paedagogisches Institut in Jugenheim/Bergstr. for "Naturwissenschaftliche Erkenntnispsychologie"
1952 - 1987(!) Lectureship at Technische Hochschule (now Technical University) Darmstadt for "Praktische Paedagogik"
Nov. 1, 1955 to March 3, 1956 Substitution for professoership of Pedagogics in Tuebingen
December 1956 - 1978 'Honorarprofessor' in Tuebingen
1963 - 1972 The Pedagogic Institute of Jugenheim is transferred to the 'Hochschule fuer Erziehungswissenschaft' in Frankfort. Lectureship "Didaktik der exakten Naturwissenschaften"
February 1987 Letter to the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, thanking for the possibility to have contact to the youth and communicating the need to cease, caused by the hardship of age
April 3, 1988 (Easter Sunday) Death at home in Trautheim
July 23, 1988 Wera Wagenschein dies at home in Trautheim

Membership in committees for educational politics
1947 - 1953 Landesschulbeirat fuer Hessen. Printed organ: "Hessische Beitraege zur Schulreform", other members were: Dr. F. Malsch, Prof. Dr. C. Schmieden, Dr. Buggisch, Dr. Minna Specht, Prof. Dr. H. Graf, Prof. H. Thyen, Min.Rat a.D. Dr. Kammer, Prof. Dr. A. Walther, Dr. W. Kraus
Sept. 30 /Okt. 1, 1951 "Tuebinger Resolution". By invitation of Carl Friedrich von Weizsaecker, Walther Gerlach, Georg Picht and others representatives of educational institutions and administrations met to the conference "Universitaet und Schule" in Tuebingen. Wagenschein delivered his lecture "Zur Selbstkritik der Hoeheren Schule"
from 1960 Deutscher Ausschuss fuer das Erziehungs- und Bildungswesen. It existed from 1953 to 1965. 35 members should have an eye on the educational development to support it by advice and recommendation.

Honors
May 8, 1955 Goethe-Plakette in recognition of special merits to the Hessian cultural life
May 30, 1969 Prize of Georg-Michael-Pfaff-Stiftung fuer Initiativen im Bildungswesen
February 1, 1978 Doctor honoris causa of the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt
September 18, 1985 Prize of the "Henning-Kaufmann-Stiftung zur Pflege der Reinheit der deutschen Sprache"
March 19, 1986 Didaktik-Preis fuer Physik der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft
June 16, 1992 A street in Trautheim (Wagenscheinweg) is named after him.

Hannelore Eisenhauer and Klaus Kohl