Peking University, Nov.7, 2011: On the afternoon of November 5, 2011, the third session of Educational Panel of the Beijing Forum 2011 was hosted in the New Meeting Room of Peking University (PKU) Yingjie Exchange Centers. Focusing on the theme of this year’s Education Panel, “Inheritance and Innovation in Education”, this session had two parts entitled “The Vitality of Traditional Education” and “Space for Educational Innovation”. 7 professors from 4 different countries gave 7 key-note speeches and more than 20 scholars conducted heated discussions on these issues. Professor Ding Gang from the East China Normal University and Professor Chen Hongjie from the PKU Graduate School of Education served as the session chairs.
The Vitality of Traditional Education
The theme of this year’s Educational Panel is focused on “Inheritance and Innovation in Education”, which has aroused many scholars’ interest: What is the bridge linking tradition and modernity together? What changes and reforms should people make due to globalization? What essence should be inherited and absorbed from the traditional education? In the first part of this session, “The Vitality of Traditional Education”, scholars gave their thoughts and solutions.
The features of Chinese traditional education still have a strong influence on people’s daily life in China, Korea and even Japan. The influence is so impressive that the study of Chinese traditional education has become a heated topic. Based on his studies in the history of Chinese education before the late Ming Dynasty, Thomas H.C. Lee, professor at the Tsinghua University of Taiwan (NTHU), shared his ideas on this topic. He addressed 7 salient characteristics of traditional Chinese education: education for preparing "scholar-officials" and the influences of the Civil Service Examination system on the education, "learning for one's self" and the ideal and the reality of the Confucian academies, the education of Confucian classics, commoners' education, rituals and Confucian orthodoxy, individualized education and the lack of the idea of academic progression, the influences of written examinations, and the formation of authoritarian personality. By discussing them one by one, Professor Lee concluded that the traditional Chinese education can shape people’s personalities and values, and also affects their ways of looking at the world. In a word, the traditional education has precious experiences to be carried forward, and the research in the history of education is of great importance.
Following Professor Lee’s ideas about Chinese traditional education’s features and reflections, PKU Professor Chen Hongjie gave a vivid example, illustrating the relationship between inheritance and innovation in detail. He talked about Cai Yuanpei’s reform at PKU from 1917 to 1923 and his idea of the university. Professor Chen pointed out that the appropriate integration of culture in the East and West is the key to Cai Yuanpei’s successful reform, and the spirit of “academic freedom and inclusiveness” has existed since ancient times and deeply rooted in Chinese culture.
Corresponding with the example of Cai Yuanpei, Chen Yiai, professor at NTHU talked about another influential scholar in Chinese history. He introduced Qian Mu’s point on the relationship between state and education, which is one of the core issues in the study of education. Professor Chen Yiai illustrated that Qian Mu was against the increased interference and control of modern Chinese government to the educational endeavor. He appealed for the freedom of education, propagating an independent and self-controlled role in the educational system. Qian’s studies showed a Chinese tradition of independent education. In conclusion, Qian helped scholars to assert that both western and Chinese tradition applaud the independence of education.
Li Jin, professor from Brown University, gave another interesting example which was totally different from the stories of Cai Yuanpei and Qian Mu. She told the audience about an unforgettable experience of her own: in 1984, she saw a Chinatown Monument carving “the world is a commonwealth” and “ritual propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame” in Boston. She couldn’t help thinking about that cultural phenomenon. In the end, she drew the conclusion that the more the world was globalized, the more people strived to maintain, protect, and sanctify their cultural and ethnic distinction. As globalized change draws our attention, this very counter force of cultural distinction and maintenance also commands our contemplation. So it is of vital importance to rediscovering lasting values.
Space for Educational Innovation
After looking back on tradition, now it’s time to looking forward to innovation. Nowadays, economic development, technological progress and accelerating globalization have provided huge space for educational innovation. In the second session named “Space for Educational Innovation”, three scholars gave vivid cases from dimensions of school, teaching and curriculum to illustrate this theme.
In October 2011, roughly about 1,500 elementary schools across Japan, together with more than 2,000 junior high schools and nearly 300 senior high schools, are tackling school reform, calling for the establishment of learning communities. Together, they represented about 10% of total public schools in Japan. Why is it that so many schools are actively participating in the school reform that embraces the creation of learning communities? Professor Sato Manabu from the University of Tokyo described the philosophy that lied at the heart of school reform based on his studies and discoveries on this issue.
Instead of focusing on school reforms, Professor Chen Xiangming chose “Teaching Research on Teacher’s Professional Development” as her main topic. In order to illustrate the term of “teaching research” clearly to the audience, she introduced the history of teaching research in China, teaching research’s importance, why teaching research was so popular in China, issues and prospects for teaching research in China, and so on. She concluded that this special kind of research has important theoretical and practical values for teachers’ professional development. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore its epistemological and methodological implications for teachers’ professional development in more depth and width.
Following Professor Chen Xiangming’s topic, Julia C. Kwong, professor at the University of Manitoba, showed educational changes from an examination of English in junior high school curriculum. She discovered that the English textbooks published by People’s Education Press in China were adapted from abroad, based on the American series titled “Go for It”. Starting with this event, she made a deep research about English teaching and studying in China.
Reported by: Gao Hongfei
Edited by: Arthars
