Pedagogical courses and teachers' conferences as forms of professional training for educators in the Voronezh province in the second half of the 19th century

The teaching profession today requires continuous professional development, updating of knowledge, and flexibility in adopting new teaching methods. Lifelong learning, explained by the accelerating process of knowledge obsolescence in a constantly evolving information landscape, is now not only the right of educational workers but also an obligation enshrined in the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation." Systematic enhancement of a teacher's professional level is currently possible through pedagogical courses of various themes and durations, offered either in-person or online, across any region of Russia. Undoubtedly, such opportunities were not always available to teachers. The shortage of educators and their low competence, along with a lack of professional educational institutions for their training in the second half of the 19th century, affected not only the overall literacy level of the Russian population but also the subsequent processes of modernization of the empire. It was during the 1860s and 1870s that pedagogical courses and teachers' congresses became an unconventional solution to the preparation of teaching staff for primary educational institutions. Studying their history at the regional level allows for a clearer picture of how quickly and in what manner the authorities and society addressed the issues of educator shortages. Based on the conducted research, it was revealed that the development of forms of professional pedagogical education, such as pedagogical courses and teachers' congresses in the Voronezh province, despite existing research work, requires further examination with the involvement of lesser-known historical sources. The author concludes that the minimal costs for funding pedagogical courses and teachers' congresses, along with the ability to prepare qualified specialists in a short time, determined their popularity. The result of their efforts was a noticeable improvement in the quality of teacher training and an increase in their numbers. This paper employed comparative-historical, descriptive, and causal research methods.

Voronezh Province, pedagogical courses, teachers' congresses, professional training, teacher seminary, school, profession, teacher, teaching, knowledge