Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in History

The aim of the preparation of the students of the teaching of history for secondary schools is predominantly the acquisition and deepening of professional knowledge of history from their baccalaureate studies, the acquisition of the didactic competencies for the instruction of history, development of the ability to manage pedagogical-psychological situations associated with teaching and with the operation of a school and development of the diagnostic and special educational skills connected with demand of an individual and differentiated approach to pupils/students.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• perceive historical material as a means for the development of pupils’ competences and higher cognitive knowledge;
• analyse the policy of memory in the school, i.e. the changeable and period-conditioned relationship to the past;
• analyse historical phenomena and processes, to explicate the significance of individual historical process, the events and epochs and their influence on the further development of society;
• mediate the knowledge of the field to pupils/students in accordance with School Education Programme, to utilise modern didactic methods;
• guide the pedagogical process, to motivate students, to communicate with them, to participate organizationally in the operation of the school;
• interpret the specialized terminology of pedagogical and psychological disciplines with a tie to their appearance in teaching practice;
• orient oneself in the basic themes and contemporary trends within the pedagogical and psychological disciplines, to acquire independently and treat critically the knowledge of pedagogical and psychological research;
• plan, implement and evaluate one’s own instruction effectively;
• take into account in the preparation and implementation of instruction the individual needs of the pupil in connection with the student’s learning style, maturity, personality, abilities, skills, talents and other categories related to the psychologi

The graduates of the study programme of teaching for secondary school will serve with priority as teachers of history at secondary schools (general-purpose secondary schools and specialized secondary schools) and further also in the area of project didactics in museum and other educational institutions and the structures of tourism.

• Secondary school teacher

The students perform the practical component of professional preparation through pedagogical practice. The subjects of Didactic Workshop, Pedagogical Practice I, II and Seminar for Pedagogical Practice allows the students to master the professional competencies necessary in the everyday work of a teacher, to become aware of their own professional needs and gradually to take responsibility for the planning, implementation and evaluation of instruction. During the practice, the student acquires a real idea of what the everyday work of a teacher involves. After mastering the teaching practices, the student is able to plan, implement and evaluate his/her own instruction at the appropriate level of standard of professional qualities and also autonomously perform all the other activities necessary for the performance of the teaching profession at a defined quality level. The student is also able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of his/her professional performance and to propose personal development goals, how to achieve them and to implement them in the given time.

A component of teaching practice is also the Seminar for Pedagogical Practice, which provides students a space for sharing and reflecting on the experience from the practice and helps them develop their reflective and self-reflective skills. The method of guiding the seminars is in spired by the concept of so-called reflecting teams, which is characterized by the cooperation of more experts from various areas. A field didactician along with a pedagogue or psychologist assures the instruction. Selected accompanying teachers are also regularly invited to the instruction. Thanks to completion of the seminar, the student is able to share and reflect openly on experience from his/her own pedagogical practice in the professional community and also use reflexion and self-reflection purposefully as an instrument of professional learning.

The subject and aim of the diploma work arises from the principle of teaching studies, which lead to the connection of the field and pedagogical knowledge and their use in practice. The diploma work thus proves the ability of the graduates building on the magisterial study of the teaching of history to apply not only field but also pedagogical, psychological or didactic knowledge. The themes can be tied to a broad spectrum of themes related to pedagogical theory and practice. The general aim of the work should be the connection of the field and pedagogical knowledge, their theoretical reflexion and possible application in practice.

The assignment of the magisterial diploma work is necessary to set during the registration of the first diploma seminar, thus usually at the beginning of the third semester of study. The students can select the theme of the diploma work after an agreement with one of the authorised teachers.

The diploma work has at least 140,000 characters. The work is written on white paper of A4 format, the number pages are hardbound. An obligatory part of the work is the title page, which contains the name of the university, the faculty, the department, the name of the work, the label of the type of work (magisterial diploma thesis), the name of the author, the supervisor of the work and the year of its treatment, a declaration by the author of the originality of the work, the table of contents, list of sources and secondary literature used and a footnote apparatus. The students publish the diploma work by entering its electronic version in the IS MUNI.

Graduates can apply for a doctoral degree study programme in Czech history, general history, and related subjects.