Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in Czech Language and Literature

The aim of the Master's degree Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in Czech Language and Literature is to prepare a fully qualified teacher in the subjects of Czech language and literature (in a combination of two qualified subjects), who can work primarily in lower secondary school. The aim of the studies is to deepen the field knowledge and skills in crucial disciplines of contemporary Czech language, literary history and literary science gained in the undergraduate studies, and to extend the basic knowledge and skills with special disciplines (onomastics, dialectology, literary criticism and textology etc.).

“Language is the very soul and culture of a nation.”

An integral part of the studies is also to develop knowledge and skills in field didactics of the Czech language and literature via basic and special subjects (alternative methods of Czech language teaching, etc.).

The structure of the field enables students to combine the acquired knowledge and skills in linguistics and literary science with skills in didactics and use them together with knowledge in pedagogical, psychological and other disciplines when interpreting fictional and educative texts, developing oral and written discourse, and primarily when teaching the Czech language. During the studies, the skills of reflection on the teaching process are developed for the appropriate types and levels of education and skills of self-reflection on the role of the teacher.

Pedagogical and psychological constituent part of the study

Through studying for the Master’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teacher at a primary or secondary school. Graduates are fully qualified to pursue the profession of a teacher. They are ready to base their professional conduct on well-structured knowledge and skills from their fields of approbation (content knowledge). The effectiveness of their professional conduct is conditioned by their subject-didactic (pedagogical content knowledge) and broader pedagogical and psychological knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader background of education, knowledge of educational practices, knowledge about people involved in education, etc.).

The degree develops students’ analytical and comparative skills, which enable them to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use subject-specific, pedagogical, and psychological publications in their work for planning, implementing and reflecting on educational activities. They develop communication skills important for communication and collaboration with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, with parents of pupils/clients and with practitioners. An important benefit of the degree is the development of self-reflective skills that provide space for the development of attitudes towards one another, to educated individuals and to the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, the acceptance of the moral obligations of a helping profession and its ethics.

The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects) and the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).

Practical training

The teaching practice is conceived as a coherent and gradated system with an emphasis on interconnection with theory and reflection and self-reflection of the student as a teacher.

The aim of the teaching practice is to acquire the professional competences necessary in the daily work of the teacher, to become acquainted with the roles which the teacher enters into in their work, to realize their own professional needs and to gradually take responsibility for the planning, implementation and evaluation of lessons. Throughout the teaching practice, students get a real idea of what a teacher's everyday work involves.

The teaching practice forms a coherent system of consecutive subjects. In the follow-up master's programmes, these are the subjects Teaching Practice 1 (1st semester), Teaching Practice 2 (2nd semester) and Teaching Practice 3 (3rd semester). In total, this makes up 280 hours (double-subject programme), followed by Seminar on Teaching Practice. Students enrol in the Seminar on Teaching Practice 1 twice during their studies (in the first and second semesters). The aim of the reflection is to provide students with a space for sharing and reflecting on experiences from their own teaching practice and helping them to deepen their reflective and self-reflective skills.

The system of teaching practice is regularly evaluated both through open and closed questions, both by students and the mentor teachers. The reflective seminars are also evaluated.

Further information

http://www.ped.muni.cz/en/introduction

http://www.ped.muni.cz/en/departments-and-institutes/cjl/about-the-department

Characteristics of professions and institutions where the acquired education can be used:

• teacher of Czech language and literature at lower secondary school
• instructor at education centres;

• instructor at free-time centres;

• employee at cultural institutions requiring education in the Czech language and literature (linguistic consultant on radio and TV, theatres, specialist in literary archives, etc.);

• editor or proofreader.

There is the possibility of extending skills to other professions within the field (work at specialized scientific institutions, libraries etc.).

No information available

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

After completion of the Master's studies, it is possible to continue in further studies in a doctoral study programme.

Graduates can attend a two-semester-long study of the Czech language and literature for secondary schools that is implemented as a course of lifelong learning by the Department of Czech Language and Literature of the Faculty of Education to gain a qualification to be a secondary school teacher of the Czech language and literature.