- Folk high school
Folk High Schools
Folk high schools (Danish: "Folkehøjskole;" Finnish: "kansanopisto" and "työväenopisto" or "kansalaisopisto;" German: "Volkshochschule" and "Heimvolkshochschule;" Norwegian: "Folkehøgskole;" Swedish: "Folkhögskola") are institutions for adult education that do not grant academic degrees. They are most commonly found in
Nordic countries and inGermany . The concept originally came from the Danish writer, poet, philosopher and pastorNikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783–1872). Grundtvig was inspired by the Marquis de Condorcet's "Report on the General Organization of Public Instruction" which was written in 1792 during theFrench Revolution . The Revolution had a direct influence on popular education inFrance .Despite similar names and somewhat similar goals, the institutions are quite different in Germany and Sweden as opposed to the traditions in Norway. Folk high schools in Germany and Sweden are in fact much closer to the institutions known as "folkeuniversitet" or "folkuniversitet" in Norway and Denmark which provide
adult education . However, unlike the "folkuniversitet," folk high schools in Sweden are not connected to a regularuniversity . The Finnish "työväenopisto" or "kansalaisopisto" (called "arbetarinstitut" in Swedish) are also part of the educational Folk tradition.Other countries have been inspired by Grundtvig's concept of popular education. In
Africa , theUnited States andIndia , a few schools have been built upon Grundtvig's principles for education.Features
The character of folk high schools differ from country to country, but usually institutions have the following common features:
* Large variety of subjects
* No final exams
* A focus on self-development
* Pedagogical freedom
* Courses last between a few months and one yearEspecially in non-German speaking countries, folk high schools may be
boarding school s or may mainly offer courses for adults age 18–30.Denmark
The first folk high school was founded in
Rødding ,Denmark in 1844. It began on the initiative ofKristen Kold , who was a follower of Grundtvig. The school was inspired by the need to educate those not fortunate enough to have an education and the poor, orpeasantry , who could not spare the time or the money to attend a university. Among the other old folk high schools in Denmark areAskov Højskole inJutland andVallekilde Højskole inZealand , both founded in 1865.As of 2008, there are currently 79 folk high schools in Denmark. The principal subjects of instruction vary from the creative arts such as music, arts, design, writing, to intellectual courses such as religion, philosophy, literature and psychology. Some schools even have courses that specialize in sports.
In recent history,
globalization has exercised an increasingly important influence on Danish schools. Many courses are open to foreigners as well as Danes, and many courses include travelling or voluntary stays in other countries as part of the curriculum.Norway
Norway 's first folk high school was founded in 1864. As of 2007, there were 77 folk high schools spread across the country, thirty of which wereChristian schools. Folk high schools provide opportunities in general education, primarily for young adults. These schools are different from secondary schools, high schools, and higher education. All students are eligible for normal financial aid. Most folk high schools are connected to some sort of organization. Most courses are for one year, but there are a few that are two years.Sweden
The first folk high schools in
Sweden were established in 1868. As of 2008, there are about 150 folk high schools throughout the country, most of which are situated in thecountryside , often in remote areas.Tuition is free, and the students are eligible for normal financial aid for expenses such as accommodations and othe school costs. After graduating, the students are eligible to study at a university.Some schools, for example
Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola nearJönköping , cooperate with schools in other countries and have an exchange student program.Germany
Folk high schools in the German-speaking countries usually provide non-credit courses for adults in:
* general education
* vocational education
* political education
* German as a second language (especially for immigrants)
* various foreign languages
* various forms of art
* information technology
* health education
* preparatory classes for school exams (especially for theAbitur orMatura )This type of folk high school is currently most widespread in Germany. Because they offer preparatory classes for school exams, the German folk high schools also function as the equivalent of
adult high school s in other countries. Germany also has folk high schools that are boarding schools, called "Heimvolkshochschulen".France
In 1866, during the Second Empire,
Jean Macé founded the "Ligue de l'enseignement " ("Teaching League"),which was devoted to popular instruction. Following the split between theAnarchist s and theMarxist s at the 1872Hague Congress , popular education remained an important part of theworkers' movement , especially in the anarcho-syndicalist movement which set up, withFernand Pelloutier , various "Bourses du travail" centres, where workers gathered and discussed politics and sciences. TheJules Ferry laws that were passed in the 1880s established free, secular, mandatory public education as one of the founding principles of the Third Republic. In addition, many teachers were strong supporters ofAlfred Dreyfus during theDreyfus Affair of the 1890s. Afterward, some teachers set up free educational lectures on humanist topics in order to struggle against the spread ofanti-semitism in France.In more recent times, following the 1981 presidential election Minister of Education
Alain Savary supported Jean Lévi's initiative to create a public high school that would deliver thebaccalauréat but would be organized on the principles of "autogestion " (or "self-management"). This high school took the name "Lycée autogéré de Paris " (LAP) [ [http://lyc-autogere.scola.ac-paris.fr/ Official website of the LAP] ] . The LAP was explicitly inspired by the secondary schoolVitruve , which opened in 1962 in the20th arrondissement of Paris (and is still active),Oslo Experimental High School , which opened in 1967 in Norway, andSaint-Nazaire Experimental High School, which opened six months before the LAP. Theoretical influences include the works ofCélestin Freinet ,Raymond Fonvieille ,Fernand Oury , and other theoreticians of theinstitutional pedagogy ,institutional analysis (René Lourau in particular), andinstitutional psychotherapeutic movements.ee also
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Community college References
External links
* [http://www.bartleby.com/65/fo/folkhigh.html "folk high school", Columbia Encyclopedia article]
* [http://www.vhs.at/ Information about Folk High Schools in Austria]
* [http://www.danishfolkhighschools.com/ Information about Folk High Schools in Denmark]
* [http://www.vhs.de/ Information about Folk High Schools in Germany]
* [http://www.folkhogskolor.fi/ Information about Folk High Schools in Finland]
* [http://www.u-p.asso.fr/ Information about Folk High Schools in France, called "Université populaire du Rhin"]
* [http://www.folkehogskole.no/ Information about Folk High Schools in Norway]
* [http://www.volkshochschule.it/ Information about Folk High Schools in South Tyrol]
* [http://www.folkhogskola.nu/ Information about Folk High Schools in Sweden]
* [http://www.vhs.ch/ Information about Folk High Schools in Switzerland]
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