Mr. Chen Heqin is a pioneer in the theory and practice of preschool education in modern China. In the late 1930s, Chen Heqin suggested teachers how to "teach, teach and teach again". The concept of "living education" was clearly put forward. His educational practice includes:

? In the 1920s, Chen Heqin made a follow-up study of his eldest son, Chen Yiming, to explore children's psychological development and educational laws.

? 2. In the 1920s, he founded the first experimental kindergarten in China: Gulou Kindergarten, and conducted Chinese-style and scientific kindergarten research, forming a systematic and national preschool education thought and advocating "living education".

? 3. 1940, established a provincial preschool normal school in Jiangxi, and continued the experiment of "living education".

? 4. 194 1 year, Life Education magazine was founded, which marked the formation of the theory and movement of "Life Education".

? 5. 1943, kindergarten teachers were changed into national kindergarten teachers' schools, and specialized courses were added, forming a complete preschool education system of nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools, kindergarten teachers' departments and specialized courses.

? 6. 1945, Chen Heqin was approved to change the junior college into the National Naive Teachers College and move to Shanghai to establish the Shanghai Naive Teachers College to continue his "living education" experiment.

Second, the ideological system of "life education"

1. teleology of "life education"

? The purpose of "living education" is "to be a man, to be a China person and to be a modern China person". Be a man, love human beings and love truth. As China people, we should love our country and compatriots, unite our people and work hard for the prosperity of our country. For "being a modern China person", Chen Heqin endowed five conditions. One is "having a sound body" and the other is "having the ability to build; The third is "to be creative"; Fourth, "to be able to cooperate"; Fifth, "to serve".

? The teleology of "living education" expresses Chen Heqin's pursuit of China's human development, education and social change from abstract people to concrete modern people.

? 2. Curriculum theory of "life education"

? Chen Heqin opposes the traditional practice of taking books as the only teaching materials. Clearly put forward that "nature and society are living teaching materials."

? The so-called "living teaching materials" refer to "direct books" taken from nature and village associations: that is, children can gain experience and knowledge through direct contact with nature and society and personal observation.

? Although Chen Heqin advocates obtaining knowledge directly from nature and society, he does not absolutely emphasize that experience absolutely denies books. Although "living" and "direct" knowledge is much better than book knowledge, "books are useful" as long as they are used properly as reference materials.

? The course of "Life Education" pursues a complete children's life. The form of teaching group breaks the usual subject-centered system and adopts the activity center and activity unit system "five-finger activity" which conforms to children's physical and mental development and life characteristics: children's health activities, children's social activities, children's natural activities, children's literature activities and children's art activities. According to the concept of "five-finger activities", children's activities have replaced classroom teaching as the basic form of school education, pursuing a complete children's life, and five-finger activities are an interrelated whole.

? 3. Teaching theory of "life education"

? "Learning by doing, learning by doing and making progress by doing" is the basic principle of "living education" teaching method.

? "Doing" is the basis of students' learning and the starting point of "living education", which emphasizes children's dominant position in the learning process and the acquisition of direct experience in activities.

Chen Heqin also summarized the four steps of "living education" teaching:?

(1) experimental observation: this is the basis of "living education";

(2) Reading and thinking: perception can't fully understand things, and it must be made up by reading and thinking;

? (3) Creation and publication: Give full play to children's initiative and creativity, and process and publish the direct and indirect knowledge and experience gained from reading and thinking.

? (4) Criticism and discussion: Children's conclusions in learning may not be correct, but they can inspire each other through criticism and discussion to achieve perfection.

? The concept of "life education" is an educational concept of absorption, transformation and innovation. It not only absorbed Dewey's pragmatism, but also considered China's background and national conditions, which had an important influence on modern education in China.