Interview with Inger Enkvist: why is teaching work focused on traditional education more effective and democratic?

Abstract

In October 2024, Inger Enkvist, Emeritus Professor of Spanish Literature at Lund University in Sweden and scholar of the pedagogical theories and educational practices adopted across the Western world, accepted an invitation from the Federal University of Paraná to participate as a speaker in the International Conference titled: “The Importance of Teachers and Teacher Training: Why Teaching Focused on Traditional Education is More Effective and Democratic?” The event was moderated by Professors Luis Gomes de Lima and Raquel Angela Speck, both faculty members at UFPR Palotina Campus. During the event, Enkvist shared her current perspective on the theoretical debate surrounding curriculum and new pedagogies. Her considerations demonstrate that the reversal brought about by constructivism has stripped teachers of their epistemic authority, while simultaneously depriving students of access to disciplinary knowledge, leading to a decline in intellectual standards in both schools and society. Her research on various educational systems across the Western world points to a profound crisis in education, with direct effects on the decline in its quality in most countries that have adopted the new pedagogies. As a way to overcome this crisis, she advocates a set of measures, namely: 1) having good and respected teachers in schools who are experts in their subjects; 2) centering the teaching process around these teachers; 3) valuing knowledge in schools and curricula; 4) adopting Direct Instruction as the pedagogical model in schools; 5) gaining family support to ensure that students study and complete their homework. Through these measures, she underscores the importance of teacher training focused on traditional pedagogy. The following interview aims to present the ideas of this researcher, which are, to some extent, unknown in the Brazilian educational field. Her reflections on her research constitute a landmark in the critique of constructivist practices and new pedagogies in contemporary education, with a view to achieving high-quality education.