Students from the No. 4 Primary School in Sanying Town, Yuanzhou District, Guyuan City, Ningxia Province play in the corridor. Xinhua News Agency.
Primary school students in Chengde City, Hebei Province in the Science and Technology Museum. Photo by Sun Zhanjun Guangming**.
Students at Tongshun Street Primary School in Yuquan District, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, are making hand-copied newspapers. Ding Gen is photographed bright**.
How long is a lesson?In most people's memories, this is the norm – 40 minutes per lesson in primary school and 45 minutes in secondary school.
In the future, this convention may be broken. A lesson will be 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or even 90 minutes, or "faces" of different lengths.
A few days ago, the competent departments of education in many places issued guidance on the construction of compulsory education school curriculum, making it clear that schools should give full play to the autonomy of curriculum setting and management, handle the relationship between standardized implementation and personality development, and make full use of the national plan and provincial implementation measures to leave school scheduling space under the condition of ensuring that the total duration of the weekly course remains unchanged, independently determine the number of weekly class hours for each subject, independently determine the specific duration of each class, and flexibly open long and short courses, large and small classes.
This is not new. The reporter's investigation found that in recent years, many schools have broken the practice of "40-minute class" and "tested the waters" for long and short classes, large and small classes. Among them, the short class hours are mostly used for courses that require high-frequency "input" such as micro-class meetings, calligraphy, and English, while the long class hours are mostly used for courses that require independent, cooperative, and first-class learning Xi.
There is another voice in the survey: although the long and short courses are more in line with the development needs of students, the rules of subject teaching and the future learning Xi, it is difficult to really implement them. In contrast, "40 minutes of class organization is more convenient".
What can a change in the curriculum motivate?What are the practical difficulties faced by the reform?How can more schools dispel their concerns and continue to innovate a more scientific, more individual, and more stimulating curriculum that can stimulate students' curiosity and desire for knowledge?
The length is coordinated, staggered, and the small class schedule has a new look.
At Chongqing Xiejiawan School, the bell is not audible – there is no bell for class, there is no unified time for class and dismissal, and there is no unified recess exercise for the whole school.
According to the characteristics of different disciplines and course types, and the physical and mental development characteristics of students at different ages, the school adopts the form of "long and short courses, interdiscursiveness, and class system" to continuously optimize the implementation of the curriculum. In terms of time, the combination of long and short classes ensures that students have 10 hours of sleep and 2 hours of outdoor activities every day. In terms of personnel, 95% of the language and mathematics teachers teach interdisciplinary teaching in a single class, so as to have more time to understand students and provide sufficient conditions for teaching students according to their aptitude. In terms of organization, students can choose their own classes according to the content of the phased learning Xi, the effect of learning Xi, and the rhythm of learning Xi.
There is no unified bell for classes and classes, but there is also an orderly class and recess, and there is a class schedule of different lengths, as well as the Peace Experimental Primary School in Longhua District, Shenzhen.
In this "one class, one lesson schedule" school, there are three types of lessons to suit different subjects: short lessons of 15 or 30 minutes, regular lessons of 40 minutes, and long lessons of 60 or 90 minutes.
One of the basic principles of the school's curriculum is to respect the child's Xi routine. The length of the classes and the regular classes are determined according to the characteristics of the course and the school period. For example, physical education class requires a full warm-up, a certain intensity of exercise, relaxation and tidying, and free play timeIn art class, children need to think about creation, and they need to display and share after creation, which must be completed in a long class. Science courses, Xi classes and other courses that require group discussion and experimental operation are also suitable for long classes, otherwise it is easy to become intensive lectures and refinements to impart knowledge, lacking full experience and full participation in the process. Writing, recitation and other Xi exercises are suitable for short classes, if one writing and one memorization is thirty or forty minutes, students will be very tired. The daily 15-minute micro-class meetings are timely, high-frequency, and designed to solve minor problems that occur in children's interactions, improve children's social and emotional skills, and avoid school bullying incidents. Song Pengjun, the principal of the school, said.
The small class schedule determines the content and method of students' school life, day after day, year after year, forming the rhythm of school Xi and life. "There are differences between disciplines, and there should not be a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to class lengths. In the interview, many interviewees said that the current 40-minute or 45-minute single lesson type commonly implemented in primary and secondary schools is easy to manage, but it is difficult to match the current curriculum structure and the needs of knowledge learning Xi change needs.
The modern school education system was born in the industrial age, in the context of rapid training of a large number of qualified talents, followed the basic logic of standardization, process, and large-scale replication of the industrial society, thus forming a unified single course type, and gradually Xi become natural. However, as human society enters the post-industrial era, this kind of operating logic has become more and more unable to meet the requirements of the times in today's call for personalized education. Liu Jian, dean of the China Institute of Education Innovation at Beijing Normal University, said that the discussion of long and short courses is essentially a rethinking of the essence of education: "What is teaching according to aptitude and what is suitable education for children." ”
The reporter consulted the information and found that as early as the end of the 90s of the 20th century, China's compulsory education stage started the reform of long and short courses, large and small courses and other related courses. In recent years, with the implementation of the new curriculum standards, the long-term and short-term coordinated and staggered curriculum has been "new" in many primary and secondary schools.
In addition to the 35-minute regular physical education class, there are also 70-minute long classes, which are mainly used for swimming lessons and project-based walking classes such as basketball and football. Since then, the method of long and short courses has been applied to other courses.
In Ningbo's Yinzhou district, schools are encouraged to cut and stitch class time, so that form serves content. For example, the 15-minute "growth micro-class" of Lishe Primary School aims to cultivate children's Xi habits, XiXi learning habits and collective cooperation consciousness through game educationThe half-day Oak Discovery Course encourages students to conduct research and exploration around a theme. What children learn from this is no longer a single subject knowledge, but a comprehensive ability to collect information, process information, and communicate in the face of real situations.
Designing and arranging a timetable is a science, which is a comprehensive application of knowledge in education, psychology, physiology and many other aspects, which reflects the rhythm of students' learning and Xi life and reflects the rhythm of students' life movement. In the view of Cheng Shangrong, an expert of the Basic Education Curriculum Reform Guidance Group of the Ministry of Education and an advisor to the Academic Committee of the Chinese Society of Education, the design and implementation of the curriculum can reflect the purpose of educating people: "The curriculum is like an organism, a kind of culture of the school, and its rationality, suitability and regularity can be recognized and discovered." It is not an exaggeration to say that "respecting the schedule means respecting the rules" and "having a sense of reverence for the schedule". ”
The matching of teaching and learning is optimized, and personalized growth becomes real and vivid.
After the emergence of a class schedule that breaks the regular class schedule, one link pushes another, and a series of chain reactions occur one after another.
One of the most direct effects is that after a period of running-in, schools without bells have become more orderly.
Some primary and secondary schools have problems such as noisy recess, safety accidents caused by student collisions, and congestion caused by centralized toilets, as well as empty playgrounds in the first and second classes in the morning, too many classes in the playground of three or four classes, and insufficient activity venues, which are almost non-existent in our school. Liu Xiya told reporters that after the implementation of long and short class hours, the "bell" is in the hands of teachers and students, and students in the classroom can freely go to the bathroom, drink water or rest according to their needs, and they can also agree with the teacher on the time and method of recess. Some of the problems of campus management have been solved, not only the safety accidents of the 10-minute recess have been reduced by more than 90%, the utilization rate of playgrounds, special classrooms and other places has also been greatly improved, and the outdoor activity time of students has also been fully guaranteed.
At the same time, another change is quietly taking place.
The reporter's investigation found that the implementation of long and short courses "forced" the changes in teachers' teaching behavior and the improvement of teaching and research awareness, and also constantly updated the concept of learning, Xi students and curriculum on campus for many years, and gave birth to the school's awareness of curriculum innovation.
At Xie Jia Wan School, the curriculum management model of long and short courses not only provides more flexible time for interdisciplinary scientific Xi, but also gives different thematic Xi and club activities more autonomy in curriculum design. In recent years, the school has developed 517 special courses and established more than 200 clubs, giving children open and diverse choices, and the personalized campus makes personalized growth real and vivid.
When students have sufficient space for self-management and self-regulation in campus life, their academic Xi readiness and emotional state can be optimally adjusted, the matching degree of teaching and learning can be optimal, and their autonomy can be effectively stimulated. Liu Xiya said: "This change in the way and form of learning Xi has established a trust-based teaching management model, which stimulates the internal drive of students' independent and self-disciplined learning Xi, and allows students to move from other Xi Xi to independent learning." ”
15 minutes should have 15 minutes of excitement, and 90 minutes should have 90 minutes of meaning. How to make short lessons short, efficient and compact, and how to keep students moving and maintaining Xi concentration during long lessons all force teachers to change their teaching behavior. "Before each class, the teachers of the Peace Experimental Primary School have to brainstorm and design a Xi list, and allocate more class time to students' group discussions and presentations.
The implementation of long and short courses can allow teachers to jump out of the inherent work inertia to study course types and teaching materials, and constantly make new discoveries and growth. Zhao Shihui, director of the Curriculum Teaching Research Center of Tianjin Institute of Educational Sciences, said.
The next 5 to 15 years will be an important window period for the high-quality development of education in China, and the educational concept should also shift from focusing on a small number of students with extraordinary intelligence and excellent academic performance to focusing on everyone's creativity, establishing an excellent environment, and allowing outstanding talents to stand out. Liu Jian emphasized that curriculum construction is an important step in promoting the reform of the training model of innovative talents in primary and secondary schools: "*The general secretary pointed out during his inspection of the Elite School affiliated to Macao Hao Kong Middle School that he hopes that the school will continue to optimize the curriculum and explore and develop educational methods that are more conducive to cultivating scientific and technological innovation talents. The cultivation of innovative talents is not an 'add-on' in addition to conventional teaching, but should be fully implemented and integrated into the school curriculum system, throughout the school education. The possibility of students' free choice and the flexibility of personalized development should be gradually increased with the increase of students' grades, and different courses should be opened for students with different characteristics and interests for differentiated teaching, so that students can not only reflect the differences in personality development on the basis of different courses, but also have space and time for common growth. ”
Encourage the first trial to improve the quality of the classroom in a targeted manner.
Although there are many benefits, the reporter's investigation found that the schools that have implemented the curriculum reform better such as long and short courses have either experienced a long period of reform pain, or are newly built experimental schools, which have natural innovation advantages because they do not need to "remove the old". At present, if we want to implement the reform of long and short courses in more ordinary primary and secondary schools, it is indeed as many respondents said: there are many difficulties, obstacles and long roads.
First, it is difficult to change the inherent thinking of some school administrators, who believe that the "40-minute unified classroom" in the past is more convenient to manage, and do not want to reform.
The traditional curriculum education concept is to pursue efficiency, control to the orientation, and the time rhythm is relatively regular, which simplifies the curriculum arrangement and facilitates the teaching management. Zhao Shihui said, "Once the long and short courses are implemented, it means that many other links will be changed, and the whole body will be launched." ”
Second, some schools were forced to give up the reform due to problems such as multi-school running and the shortage of professional classrooms, which led to difficulties in arranging long and short courses.
We need to ask a professional scheduling company one month in advance to determine the class schedule for each semester, and we need to communicate several rounds repeatedly. Song Pengjun told reporters that the school's more than 40 teaching classes are "very large", which is even more challenging for those schools with more classes.
Defeated by reality. The principal of a primary school in Beijing reluctantly told reporters that due to the increase in the enrollment population in the area, the school had to change some professional classrooms to teaching classes, coupled with multiple schools, some teachers need to teach in different campuses, and the scheduling is too difficult and complicated, resulting in "three professional scheduling companies have given up", and finally, the school has adhered to the reform of long and short courses for more than two years ended last year, and the whole school returned to the 40-minute class system.
Third, the requirements for teachers' ability to understand textbooks and teaching design ability have been greatly improved, which cannot be met by teachers in some schools.
What content is suitable for short lessons, which content is suitable for long lessons, how to take it, and what effect should be achieved?It all needs to be redesigned by the teacher. This poses a great challenge to some teachers who are familiar with the old routines and methods. In addition, the adjustment of curriculum type also poses a challenge to the professional knowledge of teachers, and a single knowledge background can no longer meet the needs of classroom effect, so compound teachers can adapt to the new classroom. Zhao Shihui said: "However, some teachers are still stuck in the traditional education and teaching methods, and the ability to design and develop long and short courses needs to be improved. ”
Fourth, most of the current school evaluation system, such as teacher lesson demonstrations, evaluation and awards, etc., is still carried out for a unified 40-minute class. If the evaluation "baton" is not turned, it is difficult to support the enthusiasm of teachers for reform and innovation for a long time.
On the one hand, it encourages the exploration of long and short courses, large and small courses, and on the other hand, there are rigid regulations on the number and duration of courses during various inspections and evaluations. Some school leaders suggested that not only should we issue opinions to encourage reform, but also make corresponding adjustments in the assessment of curriculum settings, and encourage a group of schools to take the lead in experimenting, so that schools can have greater freedom and enthusiasm in time setting, so as to improve the quality of classrooms and cultivate students' core literacy in a more targeted manner.
The most difficult stage of the change process is often the time when there is the most room for exploration. Liu Jian believes that reform means more self-challenge, and while calling for corresponding support, the school management team should also ask themselves a few more "whys": "Do you want to follow the current model?"Is it because of the impulse of reform?Or do you look forward to exploring 'what is better education', co-constructing school curricula with teachers and students, and then changing the way learning is Xi, teaching and research, and the way teachers work?Only by forming a consensus within the school and creating a good micro-environment for campus reform can we take an important first step. ”
Make good use of autonomy to promote curriculum reform in depth.
Author: Zhou Xiang, is a researcher at the Evaluation Research Center of Chinese University and an associate professor at the School of Education).
The curriculum reform of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses" has quietly become popular, and all localities have actively explored the implementation plan in combination with the actual situation, forming a series of innovative achievements. This kind of curriculum reform originated from the background of the national curriculum reform, focusing on the time, scale and other elements of the curriculum, starting from the optimization of the class hours and changing the course to drive the curriculum reform, development and innovation, with the aim of improving the Xi effect of students and the teaching efficiency of the school, and the essence is that the school realizes the combination of curriculum unity, standardization and characteristics and professionalism through the effective implementation of curriculum autonomy.
The key to consolidating and expanding the effectiveness of the reform of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses" lies in implementing the main responsibility of schools, and the core lies in making good use of the autonomy of the curriculum. To make good use of the autonomy of the curriculum, we must work hard in the following aspects:
One is strong curriculum management leadership. "Long and short courses" and "large and small courses" flexibly use the time and space of class scheduling, allocate and optimize the teaching time, develop "new curriculum", make good use of "new standards", and deeply mobilize resources such as course content, teaching methods, and teachers, which require strong curriculum leadership and resource allocation capabilities as support. The school should continuously improve its insight, understanding and planning ability of the value of the curriculum and its influence on curriculum construction, and should have the courage to boldly practice, cutting-edge and innovative concepts, and on the basis of fully respecting the laws of education and serving the education and teaching objectives, it should ensure the reform with strategic guidance, scientific management and thoughtful service.
The second is the teaching autonomy of professional teachers. Teachers are the key force in running "long and short courses" and "large and small courses", and they are also the first responsible persons for curriculum reform. It is necessary to make every effort to ensure the professional development and professional practice of teachers from the aspects of teaching awareness, teaching power, and teaching ability, so as to lay a good practical foundation for the reform of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses". First of all, it is necessary to improve the teacher development system, provide environment and support for teachers' professional growth and ability improvement, continuously improve teachers' understanding and knowledge of teaching, students, subject characteristics and laws, continuously strengthen their love for education and teaching, and improve their professional skills in controlling the teaching of this discipline. Secondly, it is necessary to establish and improve the guarantee and supervision mechanism for teachers' independent teaching, and ensure teachers' independent choice of teaching content, teaching methods, teaching evaluation and teaching research under the premise of adhering to the implementation of national curriculum standards, so as to ensure the flexibility and appropriateness of the implementation of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses". Finally, it is necessary to create a good cultural atmosphere for the reform of the "long and short courses" and "large and small courses" curriculum, unblock the channels for the participation of parent committees and experts, and actively develop a campus culture of democratic participation and collaborative education.
The third is the scientific curriculum planning and design. The core of the implementation of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses" is the scientific planning and design of the curriculum. Due to the adjustment of course content and duration, the form of the course seems to be chaotic and complicated, but its internal logic still lies in the scientific and accurate implementation of the course to serve the effective realization of the purpose of the course. Therefore, the school's management team and teacher team should break the conventional teaching management methods and plans, strive to explore the use of new classroom forms such as dynamic course selection and frequent class walking, scientifically plan the curriculum process, and ensure that courses of different forms, scales and durations can run in parallel and in an orderly manner, so as to better meet the personalized and diverse needs of students and better ensure that teachers implement classroom teaching. At the same time, it is also necessary to actively carry out special research and training based on the reform of class time, and carry out diverse and in-depth research on teaching theory and practice through cross-school teaching and research and school district teaching and research institutions, so as to continuously improve the development, design, planning and implementation capabilities of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses".
Fourth, effective digital empowerment execution. Digitalization of education is the endogenous driving force of education reform in the new era, and it is an important collaborative tool to make good use of teaching autonomy. It is necessary to flexibly and effectively use digital tools and technologies to empower the implementation of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses", and provide data and information system support for curriculum implementation and curriculum module optimization in terms of precision teaching, learning and Xi behavior analysis, blended teaching implementation, and developmental teaching evaluation. At the same time, teachers should continue to improve their digital teaching literacy and ability, combine teachers' digital and intellectual literacy with the practice of "long and short courses" and "large and small courses", and promote the in-depth development of education and teaching reform. (Bright**).