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EXTRA-SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING IN PEDAGOGICAL IDEAS AND ACTIVITY OF HELENA RADLINSKA
W. Jamrozek
K. Jakubiak
In modern history of Polish pedagogical ideas and practice, Helena Radlinska (1879-1954) was among the most famous promoters of extracurricular education and lifelong learning. Pedagogical activity and works of this creator of Polish social pedagogy took place - generally speaking - in the first half of 20th century.
Helena Radlinska was interested in various areas of education and social-cultural life. These areas were closely connected, and education itself was perceived by her as the prime mover of changes in social, political, cultural and economical life. In her understanding - influenced by the Polish philosopher, psychologist and social volunteer, Edward Abramowski1, the notion of education was used for the ‘development of human strength’ and spiritual change, which guaranteed the creation of ‘better future’2. Radlinska valued highly especially extra-school education and lifelong learning. It is manifested in her activity and views from the period before Poland regained independence, when she was actively involved in extra-school educational activity in the Austrian partition, especially in Cracow. She presented her view on this area of education during the Second Pedagogical Congress (in 1909 in Lvov). She claimed that school is the most important part of education (which is supposed to ‘awaken and free the sleeping powers of the nation’), but at the same time she stressed that school is not the only organizational form of education. She pointed other educational influences - the surrounding and general atmosphere: they are complemented, frequently even substituted by extra-school educational institutions, libraries, museums, folk high schools’. She believed that education cannot be attributed to school only. Taking into consideration historical conditions and the situation of school in the territory of Poland, submitted to the politics of invaders, she added: ‘at present they are even more important for us, since they are more free to fulfil essential needs of the nation’3.
1 Radlinska herself admitted to be influenced by him (see: H. Radlinska, Z dziejow pracy spofecznej i oswiatowej, ed. by W. Wyrobkowa-Pawlowska, Wroclaw 1968, p.308309). 2
See: W. Theiss, Radlinska, Warszawa 1984, p. 7 and others.
3 1
Ksiqga pamiqtkowa II Polskiego Kongresu Pedagogicznego, ed. by J. Kornecki, [place and year of publication not given], p. 66
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Helena Radlinska presented the above position many times in later years, complementing it with new elements. In 1910, publishing her opinions in one of magazines in the Austrian partition (Krytyka), confirming again that school is the most important, though one of many educational institutions, she stated that ‘the value of education of a country could be measured with the number of readers’ circles, self-education societies etc., free educational unions, gathering former students or creating new societies. Independent, free spiritual activity of adults is a proof of the nation’s vitality, makings of comprehensive development of its culture’. She pointed to the close relationships between science and life, and that this kind of education ‘is most effective in waking sleeping people to creation’1. In a joint publication from 1913 of Folk University n.a. Adam Mickiewicz (in Polish: Uniwersytet Ludowy im. Adama Mickiewicza) in the Austrian partition (with great involvement of Radlinska), she drew attention to a certain limitation of school education. She wrote: ‘... even the best - and it is still difficult to find a good one - elementary school takes care of a child, on a higher level it takes care of youth, barely past their childhood years, therefore it cannot cover all areas of life, provide answers to all observations and experiences which can be obtained later, when an individual is fully developed and when they have come across various issues. General education of children does not suffice to create aware atoms of today’s movement, aware workers of tomorrow, it can only instil the need of knowledge, prepare to look for it’2.
In new political conditions, after Poland regained independence, Radlinska continued to promote similar views. In 1919 she wrote: ‘Organisation of schooling still does not comprise everything that needs to be done. People awakened by school cannot be later left at the mercy of intellectual coma. We cannot settle for teaching only children when it is the adults who build a new life for future generations’3. Helena Radlinska, from the very beginning of her educational activity and work, popularised the view of great educational potential of the older generation. She claimed that education and upbringing of the older generation is possible and effective, that it has mental and physical flexibility4.
Questions of extra-school education became an important part of theoretical and methodological research of Helena Radlinska, when - after
1 H. Orsza (Radlinska), Wychowanie narodowe, „Krytyka” 1910, vol. III, issue 7-8, p. 44.
2 Praca oswiatowa. Jej zadania, metody, organizacja, Krakow 1913, p. 333.
3 H. Radlinska, Oswiata i kultura wsi polskiej. Wybor pism, ed. by H. Brodowska and L. Wojtczak, Warszawa 1979, p. 170.
4 See: W. Theiss, op. cit., p.41-42.
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1925 - she was more involved in scientific research carried out mainly in a private institution of higher education - Free Polish Universal School (in Polish: Wolna Wszechnica Polska). She undertook to define basic notions connected with this area of education, to describe its forms, methods, tools and resources. In one of her texts, published in the 1930s (‘Modern forms of education’) she wrote: ‘The name <extra-school education» comprises various forms of education, exceeding the formal organization of schooling. In the area of education, one of the most important qualities of extra-school organization is the activity of those who could not find their place in schools and also for those who were not satisfied with the content of school (elementary or higher)’1. For Radlinska an important task of this area of education was to compensate and also to broaden the curriculum of education. At the same time, however, she believed that education cannot be limited to popularization of values and ideas, but it should also provide help to create them, increase original creativity of individuals and social groups. In the same paper she explained that the original character of extra-school education is expressed in ‘(1) building unity of culture and in (2) strengthening efforts in introducing changes, which lead to differences resulting from trends or maintaining and popularization of achievements, or inspiring new creativity’2. Such a view was in agreement with the opinions of Kazimierz Kornilowicz on extra-school education, a famous educational activist (especially in the area of adult education), who Radlinska closely cooperated with, also in Free Polish Universal School. It was thanks to them that extraschool education in interwar Poland (in theory and practice) was directed towards programmes underlining the creative functions of education.
Radlinska showed a wide range of activities called ‘extra-school education’. She believed that it meshed with ‘various areas of social work, it enters work and leisure, it becomes an important component of many cultural events’.3 Helena Radlinska often used the notion ‘extra-school education’ to describe educational activities organized out of the schooling system, ‘involving people of all generations’4. In this context, adult education would be its important part. However, these notions in her various papers and speeches (especially in the early stage of her pedagogical activity) were used interchangeably. One of her biographers notices also that ‘the connecting element between extra-school education and adult education is
1 H. Radlinska, Wspofczesne formy pracy oswiatowej, [in:] Encyklopedia wychowan-ia, ed. by S. tempicki, vol. III, Warszawa 1937, p. 611.
2 Ibidem, p. 612.
3 Ibidem, p. 611.
4 W. Theiss, op. cit., p. 92.
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educational movement in Radlinska’s projects. There are two basic trends. The first one is realized by organizations, political, social, cultural, economic or religious associations for <the people>,<the young people>, <masses>... Passive membership is its main characteristic, supporting the shaping of <zealots> or group members obedient to the leader>... Another type of educational movement is organizations realizing their goals <through> their members. They attract active individuals, take up the tasks of preparing independent creators of new life>’1.
For H. Radlinska an important ‘tool’ of education was the book (libraries were ‘institutions providing tools’2). Taking into consideration the level of development of the media, it was of special importance in societies located far from traditional centres of education and science, in rural areas. She rightly understood that in those conditions the book and printed word are an important factor of breaking social-cultural isolation of rural inhabitants -peasants, that they broaden their environment, they enrich it with values of the nation’s culture, they are a ‘link with the world’3. In order to develop reading habits in this environment she continued to promote - similarly to the period of partitions - the idea of ‘mobile libraries’. She stressed that popularising books and the printed word in this way does not involve the least prepared readers, but also aims at ‘satisfying intellectual needs of awakened societies, hungry for serious books’4.
Helena Radlinska raised the problem of extra-school education and lifelong learning in the interwar period at numerous national conferences and meetings, where this question was discussed. She also took part in various international meetings, including conferences of the World Association for Adult Education in Cambridge (1929) and in Durbuy-sur-Ourthe, Belgium (1932).
After World War Two she tackled this problem - referring to adult education - at Lodz University. In 1947 she published a well-known handbook devoted to adult education: „Oswiata doroslych. Zagadnienia - dzieje -formy - pracownicy - organizacja” (‘Adult education. Problems - history -forms - workers - organization’), which referred to her earlier ideas and concepts.
Practical activities in the area of extra-school education and lifelong learning in Poland, and especially adult education, are closely connected
1 Ibidem, p. 97-98.
2 1
H. Radlinska, Wspofczesne formypracy oswiatowej..., p. 623.
3 H. Radlinska, OSwiata i kultura wsi..., p. 257.
4 H. Radlinska, Zagadnienia bibliotekarstwa i czytelnictwa, ed. by I. Lepalczyk, Wroclaw 1961, p. 147-148.
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with Helena Radlinska. She rendered considerable services to the development of reading habits and self-teaching movement (even before Poland regained independence), activity of various educational associations, among others the before-mentioned Folk University named after Adam Mickiewicz, established in 1898 and referring to the concept of the university extension (the concept created in the United Kingdom in the second half of the 19th century). It was, on the one hand, a type of institution where the education process was undertaken not to obtain a certificate, but mainly in order to satisfy one’s intellectual interests and cognitive needs (through lectures and discussions), and on the other hand - it was a school open for all who wanted to deepen their knowledge independently of their age, occupation, job and education1.
Folk University n.a. A. Mickiewicz developed, with great help of H. Radlinska, a relatively well-organised network of popularising books through libraries and reading rooms, including mobile libraries. Radlinska used foreign experience to create the so-called Cracow system for library technique2.
After Poland regained independence, Radlinska cooperated with the folk movement in the organisation of the Institute of Education and Culture n.a. Stanislaw Staszic (in Polish: Instytut Oswiaty i Kultury im. Stanislawa Staszica), she ran the Department of Education of the Central Farmers Association (in Polish: Dzial Oswiaty Centralnego Zwi^zku Kolek Rolniczych), supported educational initiatives of rural youth. When young peasants undertook to create a new boarding folk high school after the one in Szyce was closed in 1931, H. Radlinska was on the board of Farmers Cooperative for Running Folk High Schools (in Polish: Spoldzielnia Rolnicza dla Prow-adzenia Uniwersytetow Wiejskich). It was with great help of this cooperative that a new folk High School was opened in Gac Przeworska in 1932.
In 1925 H. Radlinska established a College of Social-Educational Work (Studium Pracy Spoleczno-Oswiatowej) at the Pedagogical Faculty of Free Polish Universal School (Wydzial Pedagogiczny Wolnej Wszechnicy Polskiej) in Warsaw, and ran it until 1939. The college prepared employees who later worked in various areas of social-cultural life (it educated instructors of organization and social-educational work, teachers of folk high schools and popular universities, managers of welfare homes and youth clubs, employees of farmers cooperatives, rural librarians).
1 See: R. Wroczynski, Praca oswiatowa, Warszawa 1965, p.77 and others; J. Miqso, Geneza i rozwoj uniwersytetow powszechnych w Anglii, „Rozprawy z Dziejow Oswiaty” 1984, vol. XXVI, p. 109, 122 and others.
2 See more: H. Radlinska, Z dziejow pracy spofecznej..., p. 352.
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Helena Radlinska did not stop her practical educational activity during the Nazi occupation and World War Two. She cooperated with the secret Folk Institute of Education and Culture (in Polish: Ludowy Instytut Oswiaty i Kultury), she gave lectures and ran social-educational studies in underground education1. She was also involved in extra-school education after the end of the war. She helped re-establish the Association of Workers’ University (in Polish: Towarzystwo Uniwersytetu Robotniczego) and Association of Folk High Schools of Poland (in Polish: Towarzystwo Uniwer-sytetow Ludowych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej). However, these institutions did not survive the beginnings of a new, difficult, social-political reality. Radlinska herself was forbidden to teach at Lodz University in 1950.
1 H. Radlinska, Oswiata i kultura wsipolskiej..., p. 38-39.
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