In the May 4th New Culture Movement, Tao Xingzhi advocated reforming the old education and criticized the traditional education in China. At one time, it focused on the theory of American educator Dewey. However, he is also opposed to simply "imitating other countries" and blindly worshipping foreign things. After the May 4th Movement, under the influence of the ideological trend of civilian education, he summed up the experience of civilian education and pointed out that civilian education means: "We should teach the people to read good books and be good people in the shortest time and with the least money." At first, civilian education was mainly carried out in cities. Later, Tao Xingzhi gradually realized that most people who suffered in China were in the countryside, and thought that civilian education should go to the countryside. His rural activities had a great influence on the society at that time.

Nanjing Xiaozhuang School was founded on 1927. With Xiaozhuang school as the center, there are primary school teachers, naive teachers, Xiaozhuang primary school and rural hospitals. 193 1 year, Tao Xingzhi returned to Shanghai, launched "scientific marriage activity", established "natural science park" and presided over the editing of children's science series. 1932, Shanghai Dachang established Shanhai Engineering Group. During the period of 1936, Tao Xingzhi initiated the education of the National Disaster Society and the national disaster education movement. Yucai School 65438-0939 was founded in Chongqing. Yucai school implements the theory of life education. After 1945, his educational activities changed from wartime education to democratic education movement.

Second, the theory of life education

(A) the emergence and establishment of life education theory

The theory of life education founded by Tao Xingzhi was formed in the practice of criticizing traditional education, absorbing and transforming Dewey's pragmatic educational thought and exploring popular education. The theory of life education founded by Tao Xingzhi was formed in the practice of criticizing traditional education, absorbing and transforming Dewey's pragmatic educational thought and exploring popular education. On the basis of criticizing traditional education, Tao Xingzhi once accepted Dewey's educational proposition. Because Dewey advocates that education is life, not preparation for life, and that students should link learning with real life, this view is of great significance in anti-traditional education and has a great influence before and after the May 4th Movement. In practice, he realized that traditional education was a stumbling block to new education, and even pragmatic education called progressive education could not solve the educational problems in China, so he had to explore a new path from the reality of China. He gradually developed a new educational theory system, which is the life education theory formed and established during the period of running Xiaozhuang School.

(B) the main content of life education

The main contents are: "life is education", "society is school" and "teaching integration".

1. Life as education includes the following meanings:

Life is the source of education; "Life is education"; "It is an education that meets the needs of life, not a fake education, but an education that meets the needs of life", and it is a "true education" that gives real strength to life.

2. Society is the school. It is a transformation of Dewey's "school is society". He believes that the educated should be put into nature and society, and let them fly freely. This is Tao Xingzhi's "poor way" to explore mass education.

3. Teaching integration. The integration of teaching and learning is life-centered-how to learn and how to teach. All problems come from life. Difficulties and problems from life are practical problems; Solving such practical problems is practical learning.

(C) the essence of life education theory

Philosophically, the theoretical basis of life education is materialist epistemology. At this point, Tao Xingzhi gradually got rid of Dewey's empiricism philosophy.

From the essence of life education theory, it embodies the characteristics of new democratic education. The new democratic education is national, and Tao Xingzhi's life education theory belongs to our nation. The theory of life education is also scientific. The popularization of new democratic education, Tao Xingzhi's lifelong struggle is to solve the problem of popular education.

Thirdly, the significance of preschool education.

When discussing the theory that "life is education", Tao Xingzhi believes that education is innate, born ignorant, and graduation is just a coffin. This is an idea of lifelong education, especially pre-school education. He played a role in the tradition of "teaching children to teach babies" in ancient China, emphasizing early childhood education.

Tao Xingzhi advocates universal education, not only in primary schools, but also in early childhood education. "Primary education is the foundation of the country, and early childhood education is particularly fundamental. Primary schools should be popularized and early childhood education should be popularized. " Tao Xingzhi expounded the significance of preschool education from the dual significance of human development needs and the future of the country.

Fourthly, the service direction of preschool education.

Tao Xingzhi believes that the most important objects of preschool education are workers and peasants, and the most important places to run kindergartens are factories and rural areas. The kindergarten near the project is the first kindergarten new world.

Tao Xingzhi's idea of opening up a new world of preschool education is that he insists that preschool education should serve the workers and peasants, and he calls on kindergartens to leave the factory for the countryside. In order to run factories in China and kindergartens in rural areas well, he believes that the most critical issue is to break the blind worship of foreign countries and establish kindergartens in China to adapt naive education to the national conditions.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) on children's innovative education

(A) to understand children's creativity

Tao Xingzhi believes that educators should put themselves in the ranks of children, become a member of children, join children's lives and let them know that children are creative.

(B) the liberation of children's creativity

Tao Xingzhi believes that we have discovered children's creativity and realized that we must further emancipate children's creativity. Specifically, he put forward six liberations:

1. Emancipate children's minds. Let them think for themselves, think for themselves.

2. Free the child's hands. Let him do it. He pointed out the mistake of forbidding children to do it since ancient times.

3. Liberate children's eyes. Let the children see for themselves and observe for themselves. To guide and cultivate children's observation, otherwise everything in the world is in vain before him.

4. Emancipate the child's mouth. Children should be allowed to ask questions.

5. Free children's space. Free children from caged schools, let them get in touch with nature and society, free their activity space, broaden their horizons and give play to their inner creativity.

6. It's time to liberate children.

(C) to cultivate children's creativity

Measures to cultivate children's creativity;

1. Need adequate nutrition. 2. Need to establish good habits. It is necessary to teach students in accordance with their aptitude. 4. Promote democracy.

Sixth, the naive normal education about friendship system.

In preschool normal education, Tao Xingzhi used the art friend system to train preschool teachers. In the "Question and Answer of Teacher Education in Art Friendship System"

Tao Xingzhi explained the art friendship system: "What is friendship system? Art is art, and it can also be used as a technical solution. Friends are friends. Anyone who uses a friend's Taoism to do art or craft is an art friend. " "Anyone who learns to be a teacher from Youdao School is the teacher education of the art Youdao system."

The art friendship system means that students (called art friends) make friends with experienced teachers (called tutors), learn by doing and learn to be teachers in practice. The biggest feature and advantage of the infant normal education of the art friend system is that students study on the spot in the kindergarten, which overcomes the phenomenon that normal education is divorced from reality. Second, it is impossible to establish a large number of normal schools quickly, but also to train high-quality teachers. Third, save time, graduate in one and a half to two years, and shorten the three-year graduation cycle.

Tao Xingzhi believes that the naive normal education of the artist friend system is not the only way to train teachers, but should be "complementary" to ordinary naive normal schools, not used to replace normal schools. Normal schools cannot be abolished, but should be fundamentally reformed.