Guangxi Rongshui Miao Autonomous County carries out curriculum reform starting from student-based education

Having been the education director of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County in Liuzhou City, Guangxi for more than two years, Zhao Bin feels that the biggest change is the improvement in the spirit of teachers and students. Whenever this is mentioned, Zhao Bin always smiles from ear to ear: "Teachers teach with dignity and students learn proactively. This is the original intention of the reform."

I remember that when he first took office, Zhao Bin Bin went to various schools to investigate, and walked to a town junior high school without saying hello. When he opened the door, he saw that the teacher was teaching on the podium, but a group of students were sleeping underneath. The principal explained helplessly: Not only did these students not listen to class, they often skipped school through windows. The school had no choice but to compromise, allowing students not to listen in class, but they could not disrupt class order, let alone skip school. Zhao Bin went around to take a look outside the classroom and found that there was a grassless path under the window trampled by truant students.

This "truant path" ran through the heart of Zhao Bin, who had just taken office, making him unable to sleep or eat well. Is it possible for this educational situation to change? Where is the way out of the difficulties of education in mountainous areas?

Student-based education allows Rongshui to take off the "hat" of poor education

Rongshui is a multi-ethnic mountainous county with difficult educational conditions, backward concepts and a lack of teachers.

Although the Rongshui County Party Committee and the county government have increased their attention and investment in education in recent years, some deep-seated problems affecting the development of education have not been fundamentally solved: it is difficult to break through the inherent model of teacher training; The concept is backward; classroom teaching is too full, and students are tired of learning or even give up. Students with better grades are trying to find ways to go to schools in the city. Teacher burnout is obvious. Many principals feel shameless. Education in mountainous areas is unsustainable.

In October 2013, Zhao Bin went to the National Institute of Educational Administration to participate in the 26th Education Director Training Course. During one of the lectures on student-based education given by Professor Guo Sile of South China Normal University, he suddenly became enlightened. The theory of student-centered education is to treat students as the real subjects of learning. Teachers must shift from controlling life to an educational process aimed at stimulating life, turning teaching into learning. Through the curriculum and teaching reconstruction of student-centered education, students can find the path that suits them. The necessary and most reasonable learning path leads to knowledge, ability and wisdom, and then achieves excellent results in "living education" full of initiative.

After returning to Rongshui, Zhao Bin immediately organized theoretical and practical study of student-based education. A month later, Zhao Bin led all the principals of primary and secondary schools in the county to Guangzhou, the birthplace of student-based education, to learn from the experience. At the beginning, the Rongshui principals who had gone through many "big thunders, small raindrops" education reform just listened to the lectures step by step. But when the educational miracle cases created by the student-centered concept were presented one by one, the principals became eager to try: "Lectures Can we still teach like this? Can schools still be managed like this?” In the ensuing discussion and brainstorming, the principals of Rongshui gradually reached a consensus: they should use the student-centered concept to break through the practical difficulties of Miaoshan education and find A new path of teaching reform in which teachers are happy to teach and students are happy to learn.

Since then, Rongshui County has successively sent 13 batches of principals and 800 teachers to Guangzhou and other places to study and experience, and also invited a student-based education team to Rongshui twice for training. At the same time, the county has established reform scientific research teams at all levels and disciplines, established experimental schools and classes, formed linked teaching and research, and accelerated point-to-point advancement.

Teachers talk less and students talk more

"Most of the classes are made up of students writing on the blackboard and interacting in groups, so what do teachers do?" "Teachers gradually quit The center has become a teaching organizer and guide, and students have begun to become real learners. "Observing the active classroom, the reporter clearly felt the vitality and spirituality bursting out from the student-centered education. But who would have thought that this Rongshui Town Central Primary School was still a marginal village-level school that had repeatedly fallen behind after repeated rectifications two years ago.

Deep in the mountains, the achievements of student-centered education have improved, and many schools have turned around. In the teacher's office of Angui Township Primary School, the reporter saw a student writing in his homework book: "I went back to school again because I couldn't withstand the pressure from my parents. But when I came back this time, I found that I had gained the skills I had never learned before and after class." There is no respect and choice. I like this kind of classroom and school.”

“The concept of life-oriented education has influenced the Hongyao people who have a tradition of ‘dogs don’t plow the fields and women don’t study’. Compatriots from the same group, there are actually 11 Hongyao girls in Dashantun voluntarily attending the school," Li Kungang, the principal of Anjie Middle School, said proudly.

"What is the attitude of the leading schools in the county towards the reform?" "Seeing is believing, so go and have a look.

"Under the leadership of Xu Shaoxing, director of the county teaching and research office, the reporter went straight to Rongshui Middle School in the county. During the break, several first-year high school students took the initiative to come over and ask reporters about environmental protection topics in Beijing's haze control. Throughout the morning, reporters have been visiting classes , observing the classroom. The scene of student group learning, multi-directional interactive communication, and bold questioning and debate left a deep impression on the reporter.

“Starting from three experimental classes, we have been cautious and pragmatic. This was the original teaching reform idea and method set by the school. Unexpectedly, last year’s experimental class ranked at the top of the parallel classes in all grades, and the students’ spirit of inquiry, humanistic qualities, and practical abilities were even more amazing. Teachers who have tasted the benefits of the reform have also changed their minds. Currently, the number of classes that actively request and participate in student-based experiments has increased to 31. " said Li Rongsheng, principal of Rongshui School.

At National Middle School, English teacher Zhou Lizhen was once called the "talking tyrant" by her colleagues because she could talk all four classes in the morning. May , Zhou Lizhen carefully prepared a class to participate in the school's teaching competition, but in the final evaluation, this class came last. The judges' opinion was: teachers and students were exhausted.

The teaching competition greatly stimulated Zhou Lizhen, who had always worked hard, and she began to learn the theories of "doing first, then learning", "learning first, teaching" and "learning to teach" advocated by student-centered education. Later, she redesigned this section. In the class, students were asked to perform dramas in groups according to the textbook content and share them in class. Zhou Lizhen found that although the teacher "told less", the students "told more" and they showed their ability in class. Unprecedented happiness, confidence and creativity

Rongshui Education's "out of trouble" path has reference significance

Through preliminary practice, Rongshui teachers saw what happened to their students. Huge changes: Those who didn’t like studying in the past have become more fond of studying, fewer people doze off in class, and the classroom has become lively and lively. The county’s education quality has improved from the last among the six counties in Liuzhou City to the first, and outstanding students have left. Fewer people go to big cities to study than in the past. Some principals also say that they now dare to go out and communicate with peers. More importantly, the concept of respecting, trusting, and relying on the people they educate has begun to spread deep in the mountains. However, the reform has received widespread attention and praise from society, parents and teachers.

During the interview, the reporter became very interested in these changes in education in a multi-ethnic mountainous county in a short period of time: why education. Will the reform make breakthrough progress in Rongshui? Will its changes be of reference value to other poor areas?

Guo Sile, who has been engaged in multi-year education research and practice, put it in words: What happened in Rongshui? This is normal. Because we usually see more disadvantages in remote mountainous areas, but often fail to see the advantages. Education in mountainous areas is closer to nature and less affected by external interference. This is a key factor for the success of water-melting education reform. The problem of unified examinations in compulsory education is a chronic problem that cannot be eliminated in many places, but Rongshui can quickly overcome it, which relieves the "curse" of teachers in mountainous areas who can confidently and boldly transform their classrooms. Education conditions were originally poor, with weak teachers, equipment, and social and family cultural foundations. Rongshui was exploring the reform of the classroom, which was not only a formal change in organizational processes, but also an in-depth reform of curriculum and teaching. Teaching turns into learning, and learning turns into active exploration.

In a good environment that respects students, everything in education begins to become harmonious. I believe that what Rongshui can do will also lead to education in more poverty-stricken areas. It can be done (Reporter Shi Xiaoling, Correspondent Du Zun)