Characteristics of traditional Chinese teaching [Chinese teaching tradition]

The traditional theory of size has always been a prominent study in ideological and cultural research, and it is suspected of catching up with the trend to apply it to the study of Chinese teaching thought. But the theory doesn't care about the old and the new, but whether it can effectively explain the phenomenon, whether it can open a window for our thinking and change an angle. If the answer is yes, then we might as well give it a try, and maybe there will be some unexpected gains.

The so-called tradition, big or small, is simply to realize the ideological and cultural differences between elites and the public in a period of time. The elite is called the great tradition, and the masses are called the small tradition. In the past, the research only focused on the great tradition, the history of thought and the history of literature, which are basically archives galleries of genius. As for the masses, they all exist outside history. In the field of Chinese teaching, there are also traditions of all sizes. Quite a few famous teachers are a great tradition and a high standard for Chinese teachers in an era. Various academic works such as Chinese Teaching Method and Chinese Teaching Thinking, as well as the teaching guiding ideology written by elites and enforced by administrative means, are also great traditions. I am afraid that any book on the history of education in China is basically composed of the above contents. Small tradition refers to the popular Chinese teaching thought among ordinary teachers. It's an idea, but it's not formal or literal. It's just some consciousness of "daily use without knowing". This kind of thinking away from thinking is the first factor that really affects most teachers' teaching and determines the effect of Chinese teaching in a certain period.

There is no doubt that when we realize that there are still small traditions in history and reality, we will no longer be satisfied with just studying the big traditions, but look to the once dark majority. Darkness, because it is covered, is covered because they lack the ability to speak (maybe they don't intend to express anything). In any professional field, only some talented people can speak, and talent is actually a kind of strength. Some people may say that some people with administrative or other resources can also speak in the professional field. This is an undeniable social reality, but if they don't have enough talent, their words will only be circulated in one place and will not become recorded history, so they will not appear in the scope of the great tradition. This is "the article is eternal and the career is brilliant." Compared with those who talk a lot, most people are silent. However, they are an important part of history or reality. When we only pay attention to the genius in history, we see an incomplete history; When we only see talented people in reality, we see unreal reality.

It won't take long, just ten years or decades. When people look back on our times, it's easy to confuse a lot of vigorous documents with the reality, or take those crumpled terms in newspapers as the reality of today. However, everyone in our time knows that this is not the case. The huge reality is mixed with mud and sand, just like a clumsy elephant, which can't dance to the music. "The virtue of a gentleman is the wind, and the virtue of a villain is the grass." It is wishful thinking that elites can naturally influence the public's ideas. In fact, in history, the ideas of geniuses are always innovative, but the "common sense and ideas of the masses" have a stability. "It may not change for a long time." ①

Genius in the great tradition flies fast, while the masses in the small tradition walk slowly, so does the field of Chinese teaching. Moreover, as a practice-oriented field, the development degree of small tradition is the first sign of the development degree of this discipline. This judgment is by no means a denial of the role of the grand tradition, but emphasizes that we must correctly treat the role and limitations of the grand tradition. The grand tradition will work, but it will not be as fast, as big and as wide as we think. So many problems that seem to have been solved in the big tradition still exist in the small tradition. For example, the author always has an illusion of historical gyration when reading the anthology of Chinese studies, Teaching Contention Record. Some issues were discussed decades ago and discussed decades later. Some ideas will be more innovative than before, but more ideas will be repeated. This is still an anthology. If we compare the teaching publications of these decades, I'm afraid there will be more repeated questions and opinions. What is the reason? I used to be curious about it, but I can't say why. Now I think there should be two factors: first, the small tradition has remained basically unchanged. "Let the north wind blow in the southeast and northwest, and insist that the green hills will not relax." The change of the small tradition is relatively slow. Second, the discussants in this book are mostly front-line teachers, and their purpose of participating in the discussion is to solve practical problems. The teaching reality is not much different from that of decades ago, and their discussions are naturally similar. In addition, it is very important that the small tradition of Chinese teaching has not changed much, mainly because most teachers are still far less interested in teaching theory than in practical and knowledgeable things (such as text analysis, teaching method discussion, examination guidance, etc.). ). Publications focusing on teaching ideas are rarely read, even rarely read. This phenomenon weakens the ability of the big tradition to penetrate into the small tradition, and finally causes the imbalance between the big tradition and the small tradition.

Only by recognizing the existence of such a small tradition and its unchangeable characteristics can we understand why many front-line teachers' concepts and practices have not changed while many researchers continue to promote theoretical construction. Small traditions are the most practical and widely used. As long as a method is effective, it will still be used even if it has been criticized to pieces in theory. Of course, we can't blindly criticize the teachers in the small tradition for paying too much attention to practicality. In fact, there is nothing wrong with the choice of practicality and even the requirements of the topic. It is hard to imagine that a teacher can adapt to teaching well without paying attention to preparing lessons, teaching, testing, analyzing test results and corresponding strategies on this basis.

The significance of the distinction between big tradition and small tradition is not simply to line up ideology and label it as reality/ideal or noble/vulgar; It is to rediscover a period of history or rediscover a reality. This reality is no longer just composed of famous artists and magazines, nor is it just composed of terms and theories, but a reality that includes the silent public. This reality will also prompt us to reflect on the theoretical construction of Chinese teaching. Is our theoretical construction just building a self-contained tradition? Next to this great tradition that keeps advancing but always advances in a closed space, there is a small tradition that is 100 times bigger than it. It is still self-defeating and walks slowly alone.

The author believes that most theoretical researchers have not ignored the ordinary teachers in the small tradition, and most Chinese teaching theories also put effectiveness in an important position. But at the same time, we should also see that the gap between the big tradition and the small tradition has not been effectively eliminated. It is still a common phenomenon in the field of teaching research and practice that the great tradition talks to itself and the small tradition goes its own way. In addition, our theoretical researchers' simple and one-sided critical attitude towards small traditions has also made many front-line teachers feel wronged, thus creating a conscious alienation mentality. Even some theoretical workers criticized the teachers at the training meeting, and their words were fierce. In fact, it is difficult for theoretical researchers to gain the trust of front-line teachers if they can't have a "sympathetic" attitude towards their own difficulties and efforts.

It is an extremely arduous task to make the big tradition and the small tradition really interact. To accomplish this task, theoretical researchers should first have a "sympathetic" attitude towards the plight and efforts of front-line teachers. Don't rush to say things like "you still look at problems with old eyes and attend classes with old methods" and "you are out of touch with the times". There are definitely shortcomings, but as mentioned above, small traditions pay attention to practical results, and many methods are also feasible. Why can't we look at Chinese teaching from their perspective and improve Chinese teaching from his own ability and understanding? Secondly, it is necessary to make the big tradition and the small tradition tenon effectively. Theoretical workers should pay attention to the problem of tenon joint when constructing theories, and can't just pay attention to their own opinions and ignore the existence of small traditions. Only when the theory has an empathetic understanding of the small tradition can it achieve effective tenoning with the small tradition. Otherwise, the square chisel is wrong. At the same time, educational institutions should also consider how to play an appropriate role in promoting tenor. Finally, it restricts the excessive and meticulous infiltration of administrative factors into teaching. This seems to have nothing to do with the tradition of size, but the characteristics of administrative science are procedural and prescriptive, which is the most harmful in teaching. The role of administration is very necessary in ensuring the realization of the goal of big education. However, if the administrative control of teaching is implemented in specific teaching methods and procedures, it will affect the development of teachers. Because the specific teaching behavior is very personal, Wei Shusheng's class can only be given by Wei Shusheng, and Yu Yi's class can only be given by Yu Yi. It is not ruled out that some people can follow their path, but of course, the teaching profession should not be the stage of these famous "all-star imitation shows". We can only learn some of their practices and adopt some for our use. Further, it is to learn their spirit of continuous improvement and sublation. However, today's classroom standards have been programmed and organized, almost becoming a kind of "new stereotyped writing", and the main driving force to complete the programming and organization of classroom standards is administrative power. What the great tradition shows in front of the front-line teachers is actually a set of "new stereotyped writing". It is conceivable that how can front-line teachers not be disgusted and then alienate?

Great tradition and small tradition are by no means two parallel lines that do not intersect, but are interrelated and infiltrated with each other. There is a gap between the two systems, not only because the two systems are closed, but also because of people and institutions in the two systems. If we can't pierce the paper between them, the achievements of theoretical workers will be wasted, and front-line teachers will also be in a helpless situation where efforts and difficulties coexist. This situation, I think, is something that no one-big tradition or small tradition-wants to see, so it should be changed.

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Precautions:

G: History of China Thought, Fudan University Press, 200165438+February Edition.

[Author Tong Lian: Anhui Anqing No.1 Middle School]