Pedagogical education in Russia: Lessons of history

Abstract

The article offers a historical survey of the emergence and development of pedagogical education in Russia from the 17th century up to the beginning of the 21st century. The leading national traditions in the pedagogical education dating from the end of the 17th century are elucidated, namely, the use of both «the university model» and of «the specialized model» of teachers’ training; and the understanding (since the beginning of the 19th century) that pedagogical education is the principal link on which the functioning of the entire educational system depends. The article defines and characterizes the traditional problems of the national education system, including the optimal proportion of general pedagogical disciplines and special disciplines in the curriculum for each historic period, and the quality and quantity of pedagogical colleges. The role of modernization in the general evolution of education in Russia is shown. The main directions in the development of the theory and practice of pedagogical education in 2003–2004 are formulated in the light of current target programs.