Origin of humanistic teacher education: Scandinavian environment

ВИТОКИ ГУМАНІСТИЧНОЇ ПЕДАГОГІЧНОЇ ОСВІТИ В СКАНДИНАВІЇ

Глобальний розвиток суспільства поступово викристалізовується у чіткий гуманістичний напрямок, який усе прогресивне людство асоціює з новою культурою та гармонією в усіх сферах його життя. Майбутнє людського суспільства та нації визначається рівнем освіти й навчання, якістю підготовки підростаючого покоління до майбутнього життя та діяльності. Сьогодні, кожен учитель вважається розповсюджувачем та опікуном суспільних цінностей. Тому подальше вдосконалення систем освіти безпосередньо пов'язане з якістю підготовки педагогів. У статті розглянуто принципи формування та розвитку гуманістичної педагогічної освіти в скандинавському дискурсі. Наведено результати порівняльного аналізу історичного розвитку та оцінку витоків гуманістичної педагогічної освіти в країнах північної Європи. Скандинавський контекст посідає особливо вагоме місце у розвитку гуманістичного вектору педагогічної освіти, оскільки саме ці країни здобули унікальний досвід у цій галузі, створивши демократичні, вільні та рівноправні системи освіти. їх поява датується ще 16-17 сторіччями. Поступово вони переросли в компонент освіти впродовж життя в умовах постмодерністської доби. Автор аналізує основні поняття гуманістичної освіти, сформульовані представниками скандинавської наукової та публіцистичної школи, а саме: Вольфгангом Ратке, Ніколаєм Фредеріком Северіном Грундтвігом, Арне Магнуссоном, Еразмусом Мюллером, Оле Вігом, та визначає їхні взаємозв'язки з постмодерністським середовищем. Припускається, що походження скандинавської педагогічної освіти в її історичній ретроспективі має розглядатися разом з виникненням основних філософських та педагогічних ідей, що вплинули на процеси зародження народної школи й формування закладів вищої освіти, становлення та розвиток культурних цінностей, які визначають поведінку людей, формують їхнє бажання здобувати й опановувати знаннями, корисними для вибудовування соціальних зв'язків у певний період історичного розвитку. Саме історичний огляд дозволив автору оцінити передовий гуманістичний досвід минулого з метою подальшого вдосконалення методів навчання, научіння й саморозвитку в умовах сучасної системи освіти, спрямованої на суспільний прогрес.

Ключові слова: педагогічна освіта, гуманістичний підхід, історичний огляд, скандинавський дискурс.

Problem statement

The new millennium is associated by all progressive mankind with profound changes in the social, economic, cultural, and spiritual existence of a modern developed knowledge-based society, with the priority of harmony in all spheres of life. Global development is becoming more and more distinct and humanistic-orientated (UNESCO, 2016).

Every postmodern society raises the social order of a new type of personality-free, creatively thinking, and harmoniously developed, capable of consciously and actively participating in ongoing social processes, positively influencing them (UNESCO, 2016). We realize that the main role in the education of such citizens ready to work and create a new information society is assigned to teachers. That is why it is so important to find out new ways of improving and developing the teacher education system from the point of view of its humanistic origin, historical concepts, and national context. Appeal to this problem is largely connected with the evolution of pedagogic approaches and philosophical views, in accordance with which a person moves to the center of the scientific picture of the world.

So to reveal the content and features of humanistic teacher education, it is necessary to analyze the European dimension, placing particular emphasis on the Nordic countries' unique experience as they are considered to be one of the ancestors of equal, free, democratic, student-centered system of education accessible for all the citizens (Rolyak, 2022).

Overview of publications on the topic

The conceptual idea of research is based on the realization of the basic ideas and concepts of Danish, and Swedish historians of pedagogic theories Joachim Larsen, Ole Klindt-Jensen, Argen Carlsen, and educators Jens Bjerg, Per Fibek Laursen, Knud Illeris, Tyde WinterJensen, and Sven Erik Nordenbo, who believed that model of teacher professional training is an important substructure of the wide-ranging education system (Larsen, 2008). Joachim Larsen grounds that teacher education in the Nordic dimension is a social-cultural phenomenon evolving from its origin into dynamic and flexible integrity based on humanistic principles of “free development of an active personality” (Larsen, 1984:208). Tyde Winter-Jensen assumes that the background of teacher education in historical retrospection should be considered together with the origin of the basic philosophic and pedagogic thoughts and ideas influencing the processes of the birth of school education, the formation of the system of higher educational institutions, the development of cultural values, norms and rules that determined the behavior of people and their desire to acquire a certain amount of knowledge that was useful in the construction of social relations in a certain period of the historical path (Winther-Jensen, 2019).

The aims of the study

The subject matter of our study is the professional teacher training system of the Nordic countries. The purpose of the research is to characterize the Scandinavian origin of humanistic teacher education in a historical retrospective. This study aims to contribute to the growing area of research by exploring that Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have obtained exclusive expertise in gradually developing their unique system of egalitarian, community-based, humanistic teacher education, based on deep historical and national concepts.

Presentation of the main material

Numerous scientific works of Scandinavian scholars have demonstrated that the evolution of the teacher's professional training in countries of this European region has gone a difficult and long way (Nordic Lights, 2001). For a better understanding of the patterns of the emergence of the first educational institutions for the training of teachers, let us dwell on the brief historical description of the teacher profession background processes in the Nordic educational system. The birth of a teaching profession in the Nordic region took place consistently, covering the historical stages of the creation of church and craft schools in Sweden and Denmark (IX-XII centuries); the emergence of initial arithmetic schools (XII-XIII centuries); establishment of the first educational institutions for the bourgeoisie and ordinary people (XV-XVI centuries).

Our investigation indicates that from the X to the XV century the expansion Danish model of school education in the Nordic region has led to a gradual recognition of “teaching skill” as a craft or profession (Larsen, 2008). Moreover, in the XVI-XVII centuries, the Danish educational model influenced greatly all the Nordic region. Historical analysis shows that this period is characterized by the emergence of the first educational laws, the rapid development of secondary education, creation of the first scientific school of Pedagogic Research based at Copenhagen University.

The first regulatory laws on education in Denmark were the so-called church laws, adopted by King Christian I during and after the Lutheran reform of 1521-1539. In Danish church laws, the requirements for teachers' activities were first transferred and the conditions of teacher hiring were determined. At this stage, special training for teachers of the first Danish parish schools still did not exist. However, young practitioners began to prepare for future activities directly at school (Larsen, 2008). The practitioner, who obtained full training at the school, received positive feedback from the experienced teacher about proper behavior, passed the special inspection of the final exam, and got a certificate from the elementary school teacher. Such a certificate gave the young person the right to engage in teaching activities in parish or rural schools or to enter the university.

During the same period, in the central part of the Nordic region, schools of new types began to spread. They were called grammatical schools. The children of the bourgeoisie and the richest societal groups have studied in grammatical schools. To work at such a school, the teacher had to have a certain level of special knowledge, usually from several subjects that were taught at the school (Larsen, 1984). Therefore, a grammar teacher had to have a university diploma in one of the sciences.

Such a university diploma could be obtained at Copenhagen University, which was created in 1479 by King Christian I. For almost 400 years it was the only university in the Nordic region. Our research demonstrated that the first Norwegian university, Royal Frederick University, was founded in 1811, and Stockholm University began its educational activity as a college in 1878 (Nordenbo, 1997).

The first Danish University originally consisted of preparatory humanitarian and three higher faculties: law, medical, and theological. In the course of the study, it was investigated that such division of the university into the basic faculties remained until the 70s of the twentieth century. It should be noted that the training of teachers at the University of Copenhagen was quite formal. There was no separate pedagogical faculty at the university. Graduates of this educational institution were considered to be prepared for the profession of a grammatical school teacher after graduation from the Scientific and Natural Faculty, founded in the seventeenth century (Michelsen & Stenstrom, 2018).

Our research testifies that in the Nordic region of this period, there was a significant difference between elitist private education in grammatical schools, initiated for the richest groups of society, and education in so-called written schools, created mainly in rural areas for ordinary people. University training was optional for a written school teacher. Teaching in written schools for a long time remained an activity that can hardly be called professional since teachers did not have fundamental knowledge and did not want to continue pedagogical practice in the future. Working at school for them was only a means of obtaining permission to join the university or move to a more prestigious profession - to obtain a position in the state, administrative or legal service (Raby & Valeau, 2009).

Historical facts show that at the end of the seventeenth century, namely in 1660, the first scientific-pedagogical school of Wolfgang Ratichius was founded based on Copenhagen University (Larsen, 2008). Its representatives and supporters were the first to raise the issue of overcoming inequality between private and public education. So we must stress that during this period, the humanistic component of Scandinavia's pedagogical education began to emerge.

Wolfgang Ratichius was the first Danish researcher who introduced the concepts of “didactics”, “educational realism”, and “universal teaching methods” (Winther-Jensen, 2019). He created scientific schools of “pedagogic realism” and “private tutoring” in 1715 based on the University of Copenhagen. In these schools, scientists for the first time initiated a broad discussion of the concept of “Bildung” - “pedagogical basis of spiritual development” and its influence on private and public education (Ogienko & Roliak, 2010).

Our analysis allows us to assert that the unification of disparate didactic theories, pedagogical concepts, and philosophical ideas into a single system that could be used in the process of teacher training throughout the Nordic region became possible only thanks to the Ratichian scientific schools, which through the spread of classical German humanism concepts and progressive ideas of equality in education gave impetus to the growth of the number of secondary schools (both public and private), which in turn needed new, more educated teachers.

In the 18th century representatives of Scandinavian religious guilds, which were engaged in spreading Christian knowledge throughout the countries, began to raise the issue of organizing the activities of new educational institutions for the Danish and Swedish kingdoms, which could specialize in the training of teachers for primary and writing schools. As a result, in 1791, the first teachers' seminaries, so-called schools for future teachers of written parish and village schools, were created in Denmark (Paulston, 1980). It can be considered that these institutions became the first models of specialized educational institutions for teacher training in the Nordic region.

The creation of these institutions was initially dominated by the Prussian system, in which teaching methods were not only the main part of the curriculum but also completely prevalent in the process of teacher training. The academic part of education was limited to subjects necessary for teaching at school (Larsen, 2008). The result was that the future teacher of a writing school, having received methodological training and general knowledge of how to teach subjects to students, remained only a technical executor in the educational process. Conversely, as historical sources testify, grammar school teachers who received a fundamental academic education at the university lacked the practical skills to successfully work with children (Winther-Jensen, 2019). Thus, the training of teachers in the seminary and the university differed radically in terms of principles, methods, and conceptual approaches to the educational process.

It should be noted that during the period of scientific research, the philosophy of Nordic education began to gradually change, moving towards the humanistic paradigm. In this era, the cultural and educational elite began to realize that the progress of society is not possible if only the ruling classes possess knowledge. Therefore, primary and secondary levels of education had to become available to everyone. The national movement for free education was led by the leading figures of culture in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway and continued for centuries. The founders of this movement were Copenhagen University professor Arne Magnusson (1663-1730), Caspar Bartholin (the younger) (1655-1738), and Peter Erasmus Muller (1756-1834). Later Norwegian publicist Ole Vig (1824-1857), and Swedish editor of the daily paper Aftonbladet, Dr. Harald Sohlman (1668-1927) spread it all over Scandinavia. The theoretical force behind folk schools and the education of adults was the Danish Lutheran bishop Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig (1783-1872) whose ideas inspired the abovementioned scientists and public figures to formulate the principles of organizing a new model of school training and creating schools for all population strata, including even the poorest. These schools, named folk schools (folkeskole in Denmark, and Norway, folkskola in Sweden), still exist in the Scandinavian region, helping to develop a more equitable education system, and ensuring a democratic dimension in the learning process (Raby & Valeau, 2009).

Therefore, we should point out here that the term “folk school” originated from a uniquely Danish concept of a “school for the people” (Raby & Valeau, 2009:282). Since 1844 the concept rather quickly spread outside Denmark, in 1864 first - to Norway, then in 1868 - to Sweden, and finally in 1889 - to Finland (Paulston, 1980). So, it is logical to analyze how this concept influenced the development of the humanistic dimension in Nordic teacher education.

The analysis implicates that the search for new organizational forms of teacher training in Scandinavia was especially intensified with the adoption of the first Danish Law “On Compulsory Seven-Year Education” dated 07.29.1814. In the country, the question of the quantity and quality of primary school teacher training has become acute (Larsen, 1984). In February 1818, the Decree “On General Rules for All Danish Pedagogical Seminaries” was issued, which can actually be called the first regulatory document on teacher training in this country and in all the Nordic region. The first section of the Decree is devoted to the characteristics of the moral qualities of a teacher: “A teacher must, first of all, be religious, intelligent, gentle in communication with children, calm, not have excessive self-confidence and aggressiveness; to feel the desire and ability to bring to his students the knowledge he received in the seminary” (Almindeligt, § 1). The third section lists the theoretical baggage that the future teacher should receive within the walls of the seminary, namely: 1) religious knowledge; 2) knowledge of the Danish language (skills to use the language competently in oral and written forms); 3) knowledge of natural sciences; 4) knowledge of history; 5) knowledge of mathematics; 6) knowledge of the arts, especially good singing skills; 7) knowledge about the nature of communication with the child (Almindeligt, § 15-20). In § 21 of the Decree, the doctrine of teacher education is defined for the first time as “Forskiellige”. Later this concept was adopted by all the Scandinavian countries. It can be expressed by the term “spiritual development” (Almindeligt, § 21).

As we see all these laws were originally based on Grundtvig's theory of an ideal for Danish teachers as the “best minds”, aimed at the harmonious development of every child. Accordingly, pedagogic education should prepare them for becoming leaders in their democratic nations (Roliak, 2018).

Thus, the roots of humanistic Scandinavian teacher education came from the above-mentioned period, and the concept of “Forskiellige” is also used in modern pedagogical literature as a triple idea of the development of religiosity, intelligence, and decency. From the point of view of “Forskiellige”, a pedagogue must teach children to find their paths to the “spiritual kingdom”, to define themselves, and their existence in society and the world. Lifelong learning, democracy, and citizenship are the primary concepts upon which Nordic education is based; to this end, teaching is conducted through dialogue, discussion, and cooperation between teachers and students exhibiting mutual respect (Maassen et al., 2005).

Moreover, we investigated that valuable humanistic theories of the past were gradually expanded into a postmodern educational Scandinavian structure based on shared accountability, freedom of thought, creativity, social justice, and respect for human dignity. It was the humanistic philosophy of the Scandinavian model of teacher education that created the contemporary environment in which education is considered a public benefit, a basic human right, and a foundation for ensuring the implementation of other privileges, such as equality, accessibility, equitability, etc (Bone & MacCall, 1990).

Conclusions

Generally speaking, this study outlines that to gain tremendous progress in developing an educational environment we should deeply analyze the historical background. The current study provides explicit support for the idea that freedom, humanism, and democracy in education, first put forth by Scandinavian scholars W. Ratichius, N.F.S. Grundtvig and expanded upon by social activists Ole Vig, and Dr. Sohlman form the foundation of the unique Scandinavian cultural and intellectual tradition, characterizing teacher education system as one of the most effective in the world. Furthermore, taking into account the historical experience, and realizing the fact that humanization of education at all levels is the most important task facing our pedagogues at present, we may construct educational models that will train competent, professional teachers competitive in all postmodern democratic communities.

Bibliography

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References

1. Almindeligt reglement for Skolel^rer-Seminarierne i Danmark, 10-02-1818. URL: http://www.dpb.dpu.dk/site. aspx?p=333&page=show&lawid=317

2. Bone T.R., MacCall J. Teacher education in Europe: the challenges ahead. Glasgow: Jordanhill Colledge of Education, 1990. 400 p.

3. Larsen J. Bidgrad til den danske skoles historie 1818-1898. Copenhagen: Unge p^dagoger, 1984. 590 p.

4. Larsen Ch. Fra skoleanordninger til Den Store Skolekommission. Aarhus Universitet: Danmarks P^dagogiske Universitetsskole, 2008. 267 p.

5. Nordenbo S.E. Danish Didactics: an outline of history and research. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. 1997. Vol. 41. № 3-4. P. 211-224.

6. Maassen P., Nokkala T., Uppstram T.-M. Rethinking Nordic Co-operation in Higher Education: National and Institutional Case Studies. Nordic Council of Ministers, 2005. 136 p.

7. Michelsen S., Stenstrom M. L. Vocational Education in the Nordic Countries. The Historical Evolution. London, N.Y.: Routledge, 2018. 100 p.

8. Nordic Lights: Education for Nation and Civic Society in the Nordic Countries, 1850-2000. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society, 2001. 456 p.

9. Ogienko O., Roliak A. Humanization as the basic tendency of teacher education: European context. Education and Cultural Change. Helsinki, Finland: Network, 2010.

10. Paulston R. G. Other dreams, other schools: folk colleges in social and ethnic movements. Pittsburgh, PA: University Center for International Studies, 1980. 279 p.

11. Raby R.L, Valeau E.J. Community College Models, Springer Science - Business Media B.V., 2009. 398 p.

12. Roliak A. Enlightenmentn. Scientific Collection “InterConf”: with the Proceedings of the 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference “Concepts for the Development of Society's Scientific Potential” (May 19-20, 2022). № 109. P. 116-122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51582/interconf.19-20.05.2022.014

13. Roliak A. Danish context of higher pedagogical education: training of teachers for Folkeskole. Science and Education a New Dimension. Pedagogy and Psychology. 2018. VI (73) 175. P. 21-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31174/ SEND-PP2018-175VI73-05

14. UNESCO. Education 2030. Incheon Declaration. Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2016. 83 p.

15. Winther-Jensen T. Teoretisk p^dagogik. Pwdagogikkens egenart, 2019. № 2. P. 2-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7146/ spf.v8i2.111186

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