Historical reflection in Polish pedagogy appeared in the inter-war period (1918 - 1939) and then it reached a significant position both in university didactics and in scientific research.

1. Short history of the Chair of History of Education and Pedagogical Thought

            In the years 1920 - 1939 the Chair of History of Education at KUL was directed by Prof. Zygmunt Kukulski (1890-1944) and in the period of 1944 - 1956 Prof. Jan Dobrzański (1901-1997) was a Chairman of the Chair of History, School Systems and Education and Formation at the Faculty of Humanities KUL. In the years 1984  - 2000, after the re-activation of the Pedagogy Institute, the Chairman of the Chair of History of Education at Faculty of Social Sciences was Prof. Stanisław Litak who earlier had worked in Section of History KUL (now Institute of History KUL). Since 2001 dr hab. Piotr Paweł Gach, Prof. KUL has been the chairperson of the Chair and a staff member is also Jolanta Mazur MA.

2. Main research problems - past and contemporary

Prof. Z. Kukulski, apart from being a specialist in and lecturing on History of Education, in the inter-war period was also giving lectures on pedagogy and didactics.

     In the years 1944 - 1956 the Chair was lead by mentioned above Prof. Jan Dobrzański (1901-1997). He was a researcher on history of elementary education in the Austrian sector of the partitioned Poland in 18th - 19th centuries, in the times of the Warsaw's Kingdom and the Polish Kingdom. Apart from that he also undertook archive research on schools of Lublin and Lublin's district. In 1946 he prepared and conducted a habilitation work on Szkoły lubelskie na tle austriackiej polityki szkolnej w Zachodniej Galicji (1795-1809) (Lublin's schools in the context of Austrian school policy in Western Galicia (1795-1809), Lublin 1949, ss. 128.  On this basis of this he was given a title and a position of an assistant professor (pol. docent), later on a professor of history of education and formation. He was giving lectures on history of education and school systems not only for the students of Section of Pedagogy of the Faculty of Humanities KUL, but also for students of Law and Polish Philology. After his habilitation he became a Chair of the Chair of History of Education, School Systems and Formation. He was an author of 27 books and papers in journals of this field. It is worth mentioning that Prof. J. Dobrzański was performing a duty of a Vive-Rector of KUL in the period of 1951-1954, he was an active member of The Scientific Association of KUL, a member of the board of directors of the Association of the Friends of Science in Lublin and he co-operated with the Commission of History of School Systems of the Polish Academy of Art. and Science (PAU).

     Professor S. Litak was a next Chairman. His field of interests was history of parish schools and monastery schools, especially the Jesuits' schools and issues connected with the National Education Commission (Komisja Edukacji Narodowej). He was an author of more than 20 publications in this field and a handbook for students, History of Education, vol. I, Till French Revolution (Kraków, 2004 and later reprints).

     Research in the Chair of History of Education done under the direction of Prof. dr hab. Piotr Paweł Gach have been done continually and concentrates mainly on: school systems in Poland and in Europe in 16th  - 19th centuries, significance and role of historiography and educational and formative functions of monasteries and convents in 19th - 20th centuries, university teaching and its functioning in Poland and in Europe in 19th century /types of high schools, structures and functions/, historic creation of the role of the legal guardians.

3. Contemporary tasks

     The significance of historical research in pedagogical thought has been becoming more valued in recent years. Contemporary pedagogical thought (also in Poland) has become conscious that it is not possible to perform neither didactical or formative work, nor built theoretical reflection without the historical reflection. Because of all this, historical research is considered an important element of the development of pedagogical thought and irrevocable reference point for all other Chairs of Pedagogy and pedagogical sub-disciplines. In this sense Chair of History of Education supports firstly works of the Chair of General Pedagogy and Chair of Didactics - in the area of indication of educational ideals and the role of educational institutions in historical context. In a similar way history of education serves other pedagogical sub-disciplines.

     History of different institutions and conceptions of education and educational ideals of different social groups shows first of all the idea of continuity of pedagogical thought and ideas of education and formation, showing them both as universal phenomena and unique problems of each generation.

     The present Chairperson of the Chair of History of Education, dr hab. Piotr Paweł Gach, enlarges this research field on his individual scientific interest and fields of research and activity: history of Polish culture, history of monasteries and school systems, journalism and journalism ethics, contemporary Church movements and associations. The research is also connected with history of education as realised by Catholic Church, history of culture in 18th and 19th centuries and contemporary social and religious problems. In the works undertaken in our Chair attention is put not only on scientific publications of the research results, but also on their dissemination among the people interested in them. It is done by participation in different forms of popularisation of the results, in conferences, congresses or festivals of university knowledge.

Main publications of P.P. Gach in the field of History of Education:

  1. Harvard University, Encyklopedia katolicka, t.6, Lublin 1993, szp.580-581.

  2. Heidelberg University, Ibidem, szp. 631.

  3. Kardynał Wyszyński w Lublinie, Dziedzictwo Prymasa Tysiąclecia (Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski in Lublin.  The heritage of the Primate of a Millenium), Nr 3(8), R.1996, s.31-33.

  4. Łoś Stanisław Jan, w: Słownik biograficzny miasta Lublina, pod red. Tadeusza Radzika, Adama A. Witusika, Jana Ziółka, Lublin 1996, t.2, s.24-26.

  5. The Defens of Primordial Values, w: Values in The Polish Cultural Tradition. Polish Philosophical Studies, III, edited by Leon Dyczewski, Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change, series IV A, Eastern and Central Europe, vol. 19, General Editor George F. McLeon, The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, Washington 2002, s.137-169.

  6. Szkoły i drukarnie zakonne na ziemiach dawnej Rzeczypospolitej w XVIII-XIX wieku (Monasteries' schools and print houses on the area of the Republic of Poland 18th and 19th century), Roczniki Nauk Społecznych. Pedagogika, t. 30 (2002), z. 2,  s. 105-125.

  7. Profesor Stefan Kunowski: dziedziny i charakter pracy dydaktyczno - naukowej (Professor Stefan Kunowski: fields and character of his creative work), w: W trosce o integralne wychowanie, red. M. Nowak, T. Ożóg, A. Rynio, Lublin 2003, s.17-32.

  8. Federacja Międzynarodowa Uniwersytetów Katolickich (International Federation of Catholic Universities), w: Encyklopedia pedagogiczna XXI wieku, t. 1 (A-F), Warszawa 2003, s.1113-1114.

  9. Kolegium (Collegium), w: Encyklopedia pedagogiczna XXI wieku, t. 2 (G-Ł), Warszawa 2003, s. 653-657.

  10. Konwikt szlachecki (Noblemen's boarding school), w: Encyklopedia pedagogiczna XXI wieku, t. 2 (G-Ł), Warszawa 2003, s.794-795.

  11. Kształtowanie się systemu wartości naczelnych na ziemiach polskich w XIX wieku (Creation of the system of primate values on Polish area in 19th century), Aksjologia edukacji dorosłych, pod red. J. Kostkiewicz, Lublin 2004, s. 161-178.

  12. Zagraniczne pomoce naukowe dla pedagogów (Foreign didactical equipment for pedagogues) , Roczniki Nauk Społecznych, T.33, z. 2 -2005, s.186-189.

  13. Działalność pedagogiczna zakonów męskich na Lubelszczyźnie w XVII-XIX wieku (Pedagogical activity of monasteries in Lublin area in 17th - 19th centuries), w: P.P.Gach, Pejzaże i ulice, Lublin 2005, s. 135-148.

  14. Modlitwy za Ojczyznę w okresie porozbiorowym (Prayers for Homeland in the after-partitioning time),  w: Wychowanie do patriotyzmu, pod red. ks. W. Janigi, Wydawnictwo Archidiecezji Przemyskiej, Przemyśl - Rzeszów 2006, s. 195-218.

  15. Typy publikacji o ks. Stanisławie Staszicu i jego działalności (Types of publications about Rev. Stanisław Staszic and his activities), Kwartalnik Pedagogiczny, Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, R. 51: 2006, Nr 2 (200), s.111-117.

  16. Madryt - Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Madrid - Universidad Pontificia Comillas), w: Encyklopedia katolicka, T. 11, Lublin 2006, kol. 782.

  17. Magister (MA), w: Encyklopedia katolicka, T. 11, Lublin 2006, kol. 801.

  18. Solidaryzm (Solidarity), w: Encyklopedia pedagogiczna XXI wieku, Red. nauk. T. Pilch, T. 5, Warszawa 2006, Wydawnictwo Akademickie „Żak", s. 860-863.

  19. Strategie wychowania (Strategies of education), Ibidem, s. 1020-1021.

  20. Sturm Jan (1507-1599), Ibidem, s. 1102.

Contact:

tel. 607738159,

e-mail pgach@kul.lublin.pl                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

(Written by Piotr Paweł Gach, translated by Ewa Domagałą - Zyśk)