The Impetus Of Civilization:A Study On The Evolution Of Teaching In Scottish Universities In The 18^th Century

The 18 th century is a crucial period for Scottish universities to develop from medieval universities to modern ones,and it is also the early development stages of teaching modernization.During this period,Scottish universities,represented by the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow,led to a wave of teaching innovation in the 18 th century by improving the teaching system,increasing the number of faculty seats,hiring well-known scholars,offering advanced majors,updating teaching content,and innovating teaching methods.Scottish universities were founded in the 15 th century.The first three catholic universities followed the teaching tradition of medieval universities-tutors taught liberal arts courses,and theology professors trained pastors.In the 16 th century,the Reformation took place in Scotland,and catholic universities were replaced by Presbyterian universities.Scottish universities began to purge their teaching staff and adjust their teaching content according to the requirements of Protestantism.At the end of the 16 th century,Andrew Melville launched a pioneering teaching reform at Glasgow University,which significantly raised the teaching standard of Scottish universities.In the 17 th century,the political turmoil in Britain seriously affected the development of Scottish universities.After the "Glorious Revolution" ended in 1688,the government and the Presbyterian Church began to rectify Scottish universities for both political and religious purposes.However,the committee’s teaching reorganization created difficulties for the teaching activities of Scottish universities.People were dissatisfied with the teaching quality of Scottish universities,therefore they went to other European countries to pursue their studies.From the early 18 th century to the 1820 s,the evolution of teaching began in Scottish universities.In 1708 and 1727,the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow followed the teaching example of Dutch universities and carried out teaching reforms.The two universities replaced the "regent system" with a "professor system",which opened up a new situation for their teaching development.The "professor system" required each professor to be responsible for teaching a single subject,no longer teaching all-subject or all liberal arts courses for one class.Since then,a group of famous teachers have emerged in Scottish universities,they brought vitality to teaching activities.In the 1830 s,the teaching evolution of Scottish universities entered an exploratory stage.Francis Hutcheson,a famous teacher,started teaching personal philosophical ideas and the latest academic achievements in English.From then on,Scottish universities had began a century of accelerated teaching development based on the teaching model of Dutch universities.In the mid 18 th century,the Scottish Enlightenment reached its peak.The evolution of teaching in Scottish universities was begun to accelerate.During this period,Scottish universities became an important front for disseminating enlightenment ideas.The teachers were enthusiastic about giving lectures as the number of lecture audiences was closely related to personal income.They actively adjusted the content of the lectures and adopted new teaching methods to attract the audiences.Among them,the natural philosophy at the University of Glasgow was the most representative.In this course,Professor Anderson explained the principles of machinery to students through experimental demonstrations,which even set the stage for Watt to improve the steam engine.After the 1860 s,the evolution of teaching in Scottish universities gradually stabilized.Presbyterian "moderates" began to manage Scottish universities.William Robertson,the leader of the "moderates" and the Chancellor of Edinburgh University,proposed a grand plan to transform the university.With his efforts,Edinburgh University expanded its campus,hired famous scholars,and developed medical education,so that it became the fastest growing university in Scotland in the 18 th century.At the same time,moral philosophy education in Scottish universities also reached the highest level.Adam Smith,Thomas Reid,Adam Ferguson,and Dugald Stewart,the professors of moral philosophy and Scottish enlightenment scholars,had made brilliant contributions to the history of teaching and thought in modern universities.After a century of teaching evolution,George Judin,a professor of logic,theoretically analyzed the teaching advantages of Scottish universities in the late 18 th century.His teaching theory and practice had already presented some characteristics of modern teaching.In the 19 th century,new problems emerged in the teaching development of Scottish universities.Scottish has debated for half a century whether universities should adhere to Scottish characteristics or copy the English model.Finally,under the influence of the universities of England,Scottish universities carried out teaching reform and embarked on the road of teaching modernization.In educational theory,teaching evolves with the changes in teaching elements,such as the changes of teaching concept,teaching objective,teaching institution,teaching content,teaching method,teaching language and teachers’ capacity.Each teaching element will not change alone,but will interact and develop in coordination.The systematic changes in teaching elements reflect the overall trend about teaching evolution.This trend is the teaching modernization of universities.In other words,as a phenomenon of human civilization,the essence of teaching evolution is the realization of moral,dynamic,and innovative attributes.Therefore,the research on the teaching evolution history of Scottish universities in the 18 th century has enlightenment and significant value for the teaching development of modern universities.Taking history as a mirror,modern universities need to emphasize the core value of teaching,realize the cultural function of teaching,establish a team of teachers who are good at teaching and enjoy teaching,cultivate students’ morality and rationality in teaching,and ultimately create conditions for human freedom and all-round development.