MYKOLA LANGE’S SUGGESTIONS FOR REORGANIZING PEDAGOGY TEACHING IN WOMEN’S GYMNASIUMS OF THE LATE XIX CENTURY

Mykola Lange (1858-1921) was a talented scientist, a forward-looking educator and an influential public figure. One of the educational problems that he struggled to solve in the late 90-s of the 19th century was the low quality of pedagogical training in women's gymnasiums. Mykola Lange revealed that students of those education institutions had superficial and predominantly theoretical knowledge of pedagogical issues. Young ladies did not have their own pedagogical opinion and were not interested in pedagogy. From Mykola Lange's point of view, poor quality of pedagogical education could be explained by an ineffective organization of the pedagogical training. Emphasizing that pedagogical education was extremely crucial for young women since they would eventually work as teachers, governesses and become mothers, Mykola Lange suggested a set of possible improvements that were supposed to have a positive influence on students' level of knowledge and their willingness to study. The academic course of pedagogy which was taught during the 7th and 8th years of study was designed to provide a good preparation for the teaching career and aimed at making students well acquainted with didactics, upbringing, and teaching methodology. But in fact, being limited in course hours, teachers were not able to give all the necessary information. Thus, the factual pedagogy course of the 7th year of study consisted of three main parts. The first part was dedicated to physical upbringing and early childhood hygiene. The second topic which was discussed within the pedagogy course dealt with the basics of pedagogical psychology. The third part was devoted to moral, religious, aesthetic upbringing as well as to educational psychology. Prof. Lange critically analyzed the course structure and suggested some changes. Based on some archival materials which haven't yet been studied, the present article throws light on Mykola Lange's suggestions for reorganizing the pedagogy course structure (he recommended eliminating the topic about physical upbringing and early childhood hygiene, minimizing the amount of pedagogical psychology which was taught within the pedagogy course and adopting historically critical approach to teaching pedagogy, presenting educational ideas in the socio-cultural context) and covers how representatives of the Pedagogical Councils of women's gymnasiums reacted to Mykola Lange's suggestions.