First of all, what is an educational case?

1. Definition of educational cases

Many experts and scholars have expressed the meaning of educational cases in different ways. Although there are different opinions, there is also a certain consensus. If summed up as a definition, that is, an educational case is a story of an educational situation. People often express their opinions, that is, comments, while telling stories. Therefore, a good case is a vivid story with wonderful comments.

Wang hong, a young teacher from Shanghai Qibao Middle School, once wrote an article "Approaching the Art Palace of Chinese Teaching", in which he wrote that a boy was asked to go to the podium to read aloud in a composition review class. As a result, this slightly stuttering classmate was laughed at.

The students in the audience watched him closely, and the classroom was silent. In silence, I suddenly realized from regret and self-responsibility: didn't I also have fear and embarrassment when I was a teacher? However, it is self-confidence that overcomes all this. Sometimes, a small victory can activate a person's great confidence, but an unforgettable failure can often destroy a person's only confidence. Will this boy fall into the latter situation? No, absolutely not. I finally spoke with a smile: "since he is not used to speaking in public, why don't we all lie prone on the table and listen with our ears!" " "After I took the lead to the classroom, I stood with my back to the podium and my classmates bowed their heads. Finally, a light and shy voice came from behind me. That's really a good composition. This is a story between him and his father. Because of emotional excitement, I heard his voice gradually ring out, with little pause. Some places can even be said to be filled with emotion. I know that he has gradually entered a state, and I can't help but look back at him quietly because of bursts of snickering. I actually found that many students in the audience had looked up and stared at him silently and approvingly. After reading aloud, the classroom burst into warm applause. I know this applause is not just for this composition.

Comrade Zhang Minsheng, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, commented on this case in the article "A vivid case of quality education entering the classroom":

Children who stutter can't talk. Generally, the disposal method of a good teacher is: "Never mind, go down first, and get ready next time." However, wang hong has another perspective and a new border. It may be unforgettable for students to deal with this situation and solve the embarrassing situation. To do this, the key is to consider the problem from the perspective of the teaching process I originally designed, or to be student-oriented.

(See Shanghai Education Research No.6, 1999).

Through vivid and detailed description and accurate comments, the above cases reflect how a young teacher handles unexpected events in the classroom under the guidance of student-oriented educational thought, which gives people a lot of enlightenment. Here, for the convenience of examples, examples and notes are selected from two articles respectively, and of course, when writing cases, they are integrated.

2. Characteristics of educational cases

Case is a form of writing, so what are the differences and characteristics between it and what we usually call excellent papers?

The difference between (1) and excellent papers

From the perspective of style and expression, excellent papers aim at reasoning and focus on discussion; The case is for the purpose of recording, mainly narrative, with discussion and explanation. In other words, the case is to tell a story, not to tell the truth through the story. Therefore, there are also great differences between them in writing ideas and ways of thinking. Excellent thesis writing is generally deductive thinking, the way of thinking is from general to concrete, while case writing is inductive thinking, and the way of thinking is from concrete to general.

(2) The difference between teaching design, excellent teaching plan and teaching design.

Generally speaking, it is easier to understand the difference between teaching design and excellent teaching plans. Teaching design and design are both pre-conceived educational and teaching ideas, and are brief explanations of educational measures to be implemented; This case reflects the educational process that has taken place. One is written before teaching and the other is written after teaching; One is expectation, and the other is result.

There are similarities between the styles of case and instructional design, and their differences also reflect the characteristics and value of case. It is also a description of the education situation. Teaching design is mandatory, and cases are optional. As for how to choose, it depends on the purpose and function of case writing.

Second, why do you want to write an educational case?

Educational cases can be divided into different types according to the purpose, scope, time and emphasis of writing. Some tend to be macro, as big as introducing a country or region; Slightly biased, as small as describing a class and an activity. Some describe in detail the long-term process of event development; Some focus on situational fragments. Some emphasize theoretical analysis; Others emphasize practical description. As a school teacher, we can generally consider the purpose, function and focus of writing from several aspects.

1. Learn to apply theory

An important purpose of learning theory is to guide practice. However, many teachers always think that theory can't get the moon first, so it is better to learn some specific methods to be practical. Therefore, in educational practice, it is not uncommon to act by experience and feeling, which ultimately affects the improvement of teachers' professional level and their own quality. There are subjective and objective reasons for this phenomenon, but the way of learning that theory is divorced from reality is also an important factor affecting the learning effect. Case is a bridge between theory and practice, which largely makes up for the shortcomings of the previous learning methods of learning theory simply for the sake of theory, and closely combines theoretical learning with teaching practice.

After studying books, we are familiar with many theoretical viewpoints, but this does not necessarily mean that we have really understood and mastered them. Learning and applying theory in the form of cases can effectively deepen understanding. For example, there have been many discussions about subjectivity in recent years, some say that classmates are the only subjects, some say that classmates and teachers are the subjects, and some say that teachers are the dominant subjects. Who is the subject? Sometimes it is difficult to understand the general reasoning from theory to theory. If we combine a concrete example to make an analysis, it may help to solve the problem.

2. Summarize the experience of teaching reform.

Experienced teachers talk about their own teaching experience, and there are many successful examples and experiences, but they are often limited to specific practice, knowing what they know but not knowing why. Case writing is a reflection on teaching practice. By describing and analyzing appropriate examples from practice, we can more clearly understand why some practices have won and why some have not achieved satisfactory results. Through reflection, we can refine and clarify effective educational behavior and its theoretical basis, so as to guide future practice more effectively.

Cases are also a good form for teachers to sort out and record their teaching career. In schools and classrooms, there are many people and things worth thinking about, learning or remembering. Some things or considerations are not suitable for writing excellent papers, and they don't want to be recorded in a running account, so writing a case is an option. The case not only describes the teaching behavior, but also records the thoughts, emotions and inspirations that accompany the behavior. It is a personal teaching file and educational history, which has unique preservation and research value.

3. Promote exchanges and discussions

Case is a story of educational situation, and different people will have different interpretations of the story, so the case is very suitable for communication and discussion, and can be an effective carrier for teaching and research activities and teacher training. Educational cases reflect the problems, contradictions and puzzles that teachers encounter in teaching activities, so it is very beneficial for teachers to exchange and discuss these problems and ideas to improve their analytical ability and professional level.

Cases are more suitable for the needs of ordinary teachers than writing excellent papers. The case content is close to reality, rich in information sources, free in writing form and easy to communicate, which is popular with teachers. According to the actual situation of education reform, schools and teachers can determine the topic of discussion at a certain stage, collect information, write cases and exchange discussions around a certain theme or topic, and combine relevant theoretical study and practical reflection to make teaching and research activities more targeted and effective.

Third, how to write a good education case

1. Structural elements of the case

Judging from the structure of the article, the case generally includes the following basic elements.

(1) background

The case needs to explain the relevant situation of the story to the reader: time, place, people, the cause of the matter, etc. If you introduce a class, you should explain the background of the class, whether it is a key school or an ordinary school, an experienced excellent teacher or a young new teacher, a prepared "open class" or a usual "home class", and so on. The background introduction doesn't need to be comprehensive, but it is important to explain whether there are any special reasons or conditions for the story.

(2) Theme

This case should have a theme. When writing a case, we should first consider what problems I want to reflect in this case, whether it is to explain how to change poor students, or to emphasize how to inspire thinking, or to introduce how to organize group discussions. Before you start writing, you must have a clear idea. For example, when a school conducts research-based learning activities, different research topics, research groups and research stages will face different problems, situations and experiences, all of which are unique. When writing, we should cut in from the most rewarding and enlightening angle, choose and establish the theme.