Fundamental Pedagogy Jana Doležalová

11.2.2 Levels of the School System Structure 
The school system structure encompasses the arrangement of school stages, 
their continuity and sequence, scope/length of study, outcomes and the placing 
of individual school types and categories in the entire structure (Vašutová, J., 
Váňová, R., 1998). 

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According to the UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education 
(ISCED), the school system has seven levels, see Table 3. 
Special schools and facilities are incorporated within pre-primary, primary and 
secondary education. 
This issue is explored by comparative pedagogy from the perspective of 
comparisons between and among individual countries. 
11.3 Alternative Schooling 
Schools different from normal schools were formed at the turn of the 19
th
and 
20
th
century. They were different because of their 

learner-centred (pedocentric) approach; 

activity and creativity of students (and teachers); 

real complex education of the child (learner); 

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
community, i.e. educational forms and procedures are developed jointly 
by learners, teachers and parents; 

student involvement in the world of work and expansion of the 
educational environment beyond the school class framework. (for details, 
see Průcha, 2001) 
Alternative schools can be categorised by the time of their origin. The first 
alternative schools are reform schools. The most famous schools include those 
working on the basis of Walfdorf education, the theory of M. Montessori, Jena 
plan, Dalton plan or pedagogical foundations of C. Freinet. Most of them are 
also represented in the contemporary society.
New theories are also emerging with the growing experience of pedagogues, 
with the development of sciences about man and changes in the society. They 
are used as the basis for new, alternative modern or contemporary schooling. 
The current projects which are implemented in the local school system include 
‘Začít spolu’ (
Starting Together), ‘Zdravá škola’ (Healthy School), or there are 
also elements of the so-called open lessons, integrated thematic instruction or 
global education. The concept of the so-called engaged learning is also well 
known.
For details on these schools, see monographs on individual schools or overall 
summaries on alternative schooling (see the sources of literature).