What is the main content of Confucius' educational thought?

As a great educator in ancient China, Confucius accumulated rich teaching experience, created effective teaching methods, summarized and advocated many valuable educational ideas and principles, and formed a relatively complete educational ideological system. His educational experience and principles are the precious legacy of China's traditional educational thought, which still has effective guiding significance for our educational practice.

1. Teach without distinction, and teach tirelessly.

Among Confucius' educational thoughts, the most epoch-making and brilliant thought should be "teaching without distinction". Before Confucius, the aristocratic class monopolized the rights of culture and education, and the civilian class had no possibility of education. Education is limited to the highest ruling class, and the purpose of education is only to train successors for rulers. The aristocratization of schools hinders the popularization and development of civilization, and also stifles the curiosity of ordinary people.

From the age of 30, Confucius broke the historical convention, founded private schools, and clearly put forward the idea of "teaching without discrimination" (The Analects of Confucius, Wei Linggong). In his view, all mortals can receive education, be kind and be educated equally, and education should not be monopolized by nobles. This educational thought has created a new way of moving culture downward and popularizing education, and it is also an epoch-making revolutionary initiative in the history of education in China.

"Teaching without class" is an important content of Confucius' educational thought and a summary of his lifelong educational practice. He has no distinction between class, rank, region, virtue and stupidity. As long as you are open-minded, you will "cultivate yourself (more than ten pieces of dried meat)" and seriously carry out education (The Analects of Confucius). The students enrolled by Confucius are all exceptions.

From the beginning of running a school to his death at the age of 73, Confucius never interrupted his favorite education career even during his ten years in politics (as the main secretary) and traveling around the world. He persevered in overcoming all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, developed private schools, and wrote a song of triumph for outstanding education with his whole life's hard work and life. He has made great contributions to the history of the Chinese nation and even the whole mankind. "Historical Records Confucius Family" records: "Confucius taught poetry, calligraphy, ceremony and music, and his disciples covered 3,000 yuan, and 70 people were proficient in six arts." A person spends almost all his adult time on education and has trained so many useful talents, which can really be called.

"Never tire of learning and never tire of teaching" has been praised by people since ancient times, and it is also the main content of Confucius' noble morality. Confucius often asked himself this. When his students praised him with "holiness" and "benevolence", he said, "If it is holiness and benevolence, how dare I?" If you tirelessly restrain it and teach people, it can be said that the cloud has passed. (The Analects of Confucius) Confucius not only tirelessly taught his students, but also made no secret of it, thus winning the students' infinite respect and admiration for him. After the death of Confucius, the students lived in a building next to the tomb of Confucius and mourned for three years. Zigong is highly valued by teachers, and the affection between teachers and students is better than that between father and son.

2. Teach students in accordance with their aptitude and follow instructions.

Confucius made many inventions in education and teaching. Even now, more than two thousand years later, some of them still have the meaning of truth. Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude and step by step is one of the most valuable things.

Because Confucius advocated "teaching without distinction" in education policy, he also accepted all students. In this way, there are great differences among students in age, personality, hobbies, intelligence, ability, morality, knowledge base, learning attitude and willpower. Confucius once commented on some students:

Chai is also a fool, a teacher and a teacher. (The Analects of Confucius)

Return to its ordinary, repeated emptiness; If you don't give orders, Huo Zhi will win many times (ditto).

This shows his understanding of students. In order to make different students learn things well, he "teaches students in accordance with their aptitude" according to their different characteristics.

Take Confucius' different answers to students' questions about "benevolence" in The Analects of Confucius as an example to illustrate this problem:

Yan Yuan asked Ren. Confucius said, "Self-denial is benevolence. If you deny yourself and yourself, the world will return to kindness. Be benevolent, from yourself and others. " Yan Yuan said, "What's the purpose?" Confucius said, "see no evil, don't listen to evil, don't say evil, and don't move if you are evil." (Yan Yuan 12)

Zhong Gong asked Ren. Confucius said, "Being away from home will surely make people happy with big sacrifices. Do as you would be done by. You have no complaints at home and no complaints at home. " (same as above)

Sima Niu asked Ren. Confucius said, "Benevolent people are also dishonest." Yue said, "Is it true?" Confucius said, "Why is it so difficult?" (same as above)

Ask Ren. Confucius said, "Love." (same as above)

Zhang Zi asked Confucius for benevolence. Confucius said, "It is benevolence to do five things for the world." "May I ask?" As the saying goes, "respect, tolerance, faith, sensitivity and benefit." Respect and don't insult, tolerate it, trust and blame it, be sensitive and meritorious, and benefit is enough to make people. " (Yang Huo XVII)

Benevolence is the core of Confucius' ethical thought and the highest moral standard in his mind. Five students ask the same question, and Confucius' answer is different according to each person's characteristics. Yan Yuan is the one who knows his thoughts best among Confucius students, so Confucius' answer to him is profound and abstract, involving the relationship between courtesy and benevolence. Zhonggong is ran yong, who is very talented in politics. Confucius thinks that he can "make the South" (The Analects of Confucius is also brave), that is, you can be the chief executive of a place), so when Zhonggong asked Rende for advice, Confucius' answer focused on the political application of Rende. Sima Niu was "talkative and impetuous" (Biography of Zhong Ni's Disciples in Historical Records). Confucius warned him that there were not many benevolent people and he seemed to speak slowly, so as to correct his deviation in character. Fan Chi's understanding ability is very poor, so Confucius gave him a more specific answer. Tell him that benevolence means loving others. Zhang Zi is sometimes too extreme, and things often go to extremes. This kind of person is not kind in the process of getting along with others. So when he asked Rende, Confucius spoke in detail and told him how to get along with others.

Look at another example:

Lutz asked, "What did Sven do?" Confucius said, "With my father and brother around, how can I smell and act?" You Ran said, "What will you do when you hear about it?" Confucius said, "Si Wen must do it." Gong Xihua said, "You also ask Si Wen to do it." Confucius said, "Father and brother." : Qiu also asked "Steven Zhu Xing", Confucius said: "Steven Zhu Xing". Red is also confused and dares to ask. "Confucius said:" Seek and retreat, so I enter; Because you are alone, you should retreat. "("Advanced Analects of Confucius ")

This chapter expounds the principle of Confucius teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. Song Zhuxi commented: "Confucius taught students in accordance with their aptitude." The same question was put forward by different students. According to the different personality characteristics of You Ran and Lutz, Confucius used the method of fostering strengths and avoiding weaknesses to improve their moral cultivation, which provided a vivid demonstration class for future generations to teach students in accordance with their aptitude.

The characteristic of Confucius' teaching activities is that he can "teach students in accordance with their aptitude" according to their actual situation. According to this principle, he deeply understands students' different interests, wisdom and abilities, grasps everyone's characteristics and gives different education. He divided excellent students into four majors:

Virtue: Yan Yuan, Min Zikai, Ran Boniu, Zhong Gong; Word: slay me, Zigong; Politics: You Ran, Lu Ji; Literature: Ziyou and Xia Zi. (Advanced Analects of Confucius)

Confucius taught students in accordance with their aptitude, so his disciples had their own strengths. He divided education into different majors and disciplines, which was the first time in the history of education development in China.

In the long-term teaching practice, Confucius explored and summarized how to impart knowledge to achieve better teaching results.

Traditional education pays attention to memory and understanding, so it pays attention to cramming teaching and ignores heuristic guidance in educational methods. It puts students in a passive position and can't fully mobilize their enthusiasm and cultivate their creative spirit. This kind of education goes against the nature that people have the ability to create and hope to realize their talents. Over time, it will inevitably hit and suppress their enthusiasm. Students who can't keep up will lose confidence and interest in learning, feel that learning is a heavy burden, and even lose the quality of being eager to learn and make progress. In fact, this tendency is quite different from Confucius' educational proposition and practice. "That Confucius coaxed me into writing a book and asked me to be polite, but I couldn't stop." (The Analects of Confucius, Zi Han) This is Yan Hui's personal experience after studying with Confucius for many years.