Abstract: In the last decades there is a growing interest in subject-matter didactics (Vakdidactiek in Dutch). This interest can be seen in a revival of the academie subject curriculum and in the position of the subject-matter specialists who gained institutional support in schools, teacher education, curriculum development and developmental research. In this article the relation between subject-related didactics and educational psychology is explored from a curriculum perspective. After a historical introduction a comparison is made between subject-related didactics and educational psychology. It is concluded that both disciplines have much in common. However there are also striking differences. The central thesis is that if subject-matter specialists dominate in curriculum decisions, manyfacets willbe overlooked which willbe detrimental especially for low achieving students. Therefore the proposal has been made to create projects in which 'communities of professionals' can develop. The principle of 'overlapping group membership' may foster interdisciplinary cooperation between subject-matter specialists, educationalpsychologists and teachers in these communities. The central thesis is illustrated by a discussion about three topics: (i) structure of the discipline versus daily life world (ii) constructivism in education (Ui) mathematics for all. The article concludes with some personal experiences in interdisciplinary projects.
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