Slowenien / Slowenia / Slovénie
Miso Dacic
Kranj, Slovenia
I. Philosophy is taught in Slovenia in high schools - gymnasium in last grade (4th grade). It means that students are of age between 17 and 19 years. All students have two lessons a week (two hours).
Ethics is taught in primary schools in grades 7th and 8th (of 9 grades). Pupils are of age between 13 and 15 years. Ethics is taught one lesson a week (one hour). The name of the subject is “Ethics and Society”.
Date of legal introducing of teaching of philosophy is 1945.
Date of legal introducing of teaching of ethics is 1997.
Philosophy is since 1945 an obligatory subject.
Ethics is also an obligatory subject.
Written exams in philosophy are not directed. It depends on each teacher if exams would be written. The same holds also for number of written exams.
The situation of ethics written exams is the same as by philosophy.
Neither philosophy nor ethics are alternative subjects.
There are supplementary working groups in philosophy in secondary schools. Philosophy can be chosen as leaving examination subject, and therefore working groups are formed for student's preparation for that examination. For three years (since 2003) every year national Philosophy Olympiad is organized, but we don't participate at the IPO. If some students do participate at the IPO, is that on account of co-operation of their teachers with IPO.
II. Curricula for philosophy is obligatory.
Ethics curricula is also obligatory.
At philosophy lessons following philosophical fields are obligatory: What is Philosophy? Questions of cognition, Ethics, and a field selected by teacher in co-operation with students.
Fundamental subject of ethics is social ethics concerning the individual and social life.
Problem oriented lesson is the main approach into philosophy. Therefore in teaching philosophy all the methods are combined (lecture, analyses of texts, free discussion, dialogue etc).
Main methods in teaching ethics are lecture of teacher combined with dialogue.
We can hardly speak about teaching of philosophy in an interdisciplinary way. Some themes are taught in comparison to problems of other subjects, but it always depends on teacher.
The situation at ethics lessons is the same.
“Europe as a unity of common values or epistemology” is hardly ever a subject in philosophy courses.
III. For teaching philosophy university study is necessary. The same is for teaching ethics.
Obligatory qualification for teachers of philosophy is university diploma, course philosophy.
University diploma is also needed for teaching ethics, but different courses can be combined (philosophy, politology, sociology, theology, history or geography).
For teaching philosophy as for teaching ethics is only one degree of qualification, like for all other teachers. Study of philosophy takes 9 semesters. There is no specific study of ethics, but all possible combinations of study take also 9 semesters.
By philosophy study the course of didactic and methods of philosophy teaching takes three semesters (three hours a week). At beginning of teacher career everyone has to pass a probation period of 12 months under the guidance of an experienced philosophy teacher.
Ethics teachers have also a 12 months probation period.
Different school institutions organize every year various additional courses of teacher training for teachers of philosophy as of ethics.