FROM THE HISTORY OF REFORMS OF “GYMNASIUM” EDUCATION
L. P. Kochneva
This article presents a retrospective analysis of reforms of "gymnasium” secondary education, with an accent on the contents of education, stressing its relevance in our times and singling out the stages of its reform.
Interest in the pre-revolutionary experience of secondary education is high today, as the secondary school in previous centuries solved the same problems that concern education institutions today: the content and methods of study, methodological and staff provision, and management of the education process. In the middle ages, the word "gymnasium” was used to indicate special secondary schools which prepared pupils to enroll in university.
At the end of the 16th century, at high schools in Germany modern languages and natural science was introduced: teaching began to be conducted in the national language, although classical languages were studied thoroughly. This pedagogical direction was called realistic, which led to the subsequent appearance of real high schools and real academies. In the 19th century, high school education was realized at the classical high school, where Latin and Greek were studied, and at the real academy, where ancient languages were not taught. A comparison of the curricula of high schools of that time shows that ancient languages occupied about 70% of the total system of teaching.
The history of high schools in Russia draws its beginning from the German school opened in 1701 at the German settlement. The program included, besides ancient and modern languages, philosophy, politics, rhetoric, arithmetic and geography. The break in high school education took part in 1726, when at the Academy of Sciences a high school was opened that was called academic. The main task of the high school was preparing students for military and civil service. The main subjects at the high school were Latin, Greek, German and French, rhetoric, logic, history and arithmetic. From 1747, the subjects began to be taught in Russian. In 1758,
M. V. Lomonosov founded a boarding school for 40 people at the high school and a section for young pupils. In the 1770s, lessons for the senior classes began to be given in Latin and German, and the foundations of mathematics and the natural sciences were studied. On Lomonosov’s initiative, at the Moscow University in 1755, a second high school was
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founded, which was called a university. The goal of the high school was to prepare students to attend lectures at university. It consisted of two sections - for the nobility, and intellectuals not belonging to the gentry. However, study was carried out according to the same scheme. In 1758, a third high school was opened, called the Kazan high school. Oriental languages were taught there: Tatar and Kalmyk, taking into account the local conditions and the location of the school.
At the beginning of the 19th century, study districts were introduced in Russia, and high schools began to open everywhere. The goal of the high school was to prepare pupils to enroll in universities, and also give young people information that was necessary for a well-bred person. Study lasted for four years, with the following subjects: mathematics, history, geography, statistics, philosophy, fine arts, political economy, natural history, technology, commercial sciences, Latin, French, German, drawing. During the reform of 1811, the following changes were made to the curriculum: theology was introduced, as well as the national language (Russian), and logic: political economy, mythology, commercial sciences, aesthetics and philosophy were excluded. The main goal of the high school was to prepare pupils to enroll in university. In 1819, a common curriculum was introduced for all high schools in Russia, and study lasted seven years.
The next stage of development of the high school was connected with reform which corresponded to the thesis: ‘If the entire people learned to read and write, or an excessive number of them, this would do more harm than good”. In 1825, political sciences were excluded; the number of lessons of rhetoric and poetry were reduced; teachers were forbidden to choose topics for essays; all subjects were taught in Russian. The New Charter proclaimed such goals as preparation for enrolling in universities, with emphasis on general upbringing and education. The main subjects were ancient languages and mathematics. Geography, history, Russian, physics, German and French were also taught. In 1837, a system of trials for moving from class to class and on graduating from the high school was introduced. A diploma was introduced - a document issued after graduating from the high school. In 1846 a five-point system for evaluating progress, behavior and diligence was introduced. In 1849, with the aim of bringing high school education closer to real life, emphasis was placed on general and special education, so from the fourth year, all the students were divided into two streams: the law and Latin departments.
Under the influence of society, in 1864 a new Charter was introduced, and high schools began to be divided into classical and real, with the
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former divided in their turn into study with one ancient language or two ancient languages. Among subjects introduced were gymnastics and singing, and the study of law was stopped; literary talks and performances were allowed; and Sunday schools were opened at high schools. The charter introduced in 1871 only recognized classical high schools with two ancient languages. Study continued for eight years (the seventh class lasted two years). According to the new charter, primary importance was given to studying ancient languages; natural history was excluded; cosmography was replaced by mathematical geography; there was a reduction in the number of hours for calligraphy, drawing, sketching, history and theology. Logic was introduced once more. In 1887, real high schools were renamed real academies, where instruction was carried out in two areas: fundamental and commercial.
The reform of 1905 took into account the shortcomings of secondary education, which was characterized by the detachment of the family from the school, lack of attention to the personal abilities of pupils, excessive mental work by pupils, uncoordinated curricula, poor teaching of Russian, Russian history and literature etc. The existing system of teaching was reviewed: teaching of Latin in the first two classes was abolished, and Greek was abolished in the third and fourth classes (it became a noncompulsory subject); the only textbooks allowed were those approved by the Scholarly Committee of the Ministry; exams were held in oral and written form; after the graduation exam a certificate of maturity was issued.
From the 1980s, a process of self-reorganization of the mass school into new educational institutions took place in the development of education. According to the results of an analysis held as part of the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Fund project, it can be said that in Russia different types of study institutions of high level have appeared - lyceums, high schools etc. Today the "gymnasium”, as one of the forms of in-depth secondary education, works with programs of high complexity and gives pupils an all-round education.
It can be said that the entire history of the reformation of "gymnasium” education shows: gymnasiums arose in the state in a period of social changes in society. The main characteristic of the Russian gymnasium was always been its adherence to the state, precisely following and obeying its laws.
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