Bruner's Educational Thought, a Famous Western Educator
Bruner (19 15-) is an American psychologist, educator and a representative of structuralist educational thought. His main works are: Educational Process (1960), On Cognition (1962), Discussion on Teaching Theory (1966), Educational Suitability (197 1.
Bruner believes that learning a subject is not only "what to learn", but also "knowing how to deal with it". Learn how to learn. He pointed out, "When we teach a subject, we don't want students to be a small library of this subject, but we want them to participate in the process of acquiring knowledge. Learning is a process, not a result. " In Bruner's view, the process of learning is the process of exploring knowledge. He emphasized: "There seems to be an indispensable element in human learning, which, like discovery, is an opportunity to explore the situation as much as possible. Therefore, discovery learning should be regarded as the main method of children's teaching, and children should be encouraged to discover the mystery of knowledge and master the structure of the subject.
Regarding discovery learning, Bruner pointed out that "all forms of acquiring knowledge with one's own mind" can be called discovery learning. However, discovery learning in schools is not limited to discovering the unknown world, but more importantly, it guides students to "rediscover" human cultural knowledge by their own strength. Its essence is to reorganize or transform "phenomena, so that people can transcend them and regroup, thus gaining new insights, including finding the correct structure and meaning." In short, in Bruner's view, discovery learning is a kind of learning method that guides children to explore the potential structure with regularity from the superficial phenomena of what they see under school conditions.
Bruner further studied and put forward the methods to promote discovery learning. First, encourage children to think and explore actively. Bruner believes that children are the main body of discovery learning, so children should be encouraged to believe and rely on their own brains to think, discover and solve problems. The second is to stimulate the inner motivation of children's learning. Bruner believes that intrinsic motivation, especially ability, is the driving force for children to learn. It is necessary to inspire children to link their study with their future life, reward them with discovery, and gradually cultivate and form their learning behaviors and habits. Third, pay attention to the compatibility of old and new knowledge. Bruner believes that using flexible and diverse teaching methods and creating a good learning situation will prompt students to discover the internal relationship between old and new knowledge, and incorporate new knowledge into their existing knowledge structure and become their own knowledge. The fourth is to use hypothesis, comparison and operation to cultivate students' discovery skills. Bruner believes that cultivating students' discovery skills will not only help students organize their knowledge effectively, but also help them solve problems with what they have learned, improve their thinking ability and realize discovery learning.
Dewey's Educational Thought
Dewey (1859- 1952), an American educator, is a representative figure of pragmatic educational thought.
(A) on the nature of education
Dewey criticized the traditional school education from pragmatic empiricism and functional psychology, and put forward his basic views on the essence of education, namely "education is life" and "school is society".
1, "Education is life"
Dewey believes that education is the process of children's life now, not the preparation for their future life. He said: "Life is development, and continuous development is life." Therefore, the best education is "learning from life" and "learning from experience". Education is to provide children with conditions to ensure their growth or complete life.
Because life is growth and children's development is the process of primitive instinctive growth, Dewey emphasized that "growth is the characteristic of life, so education is growth." In his view, education is not to force children to absorb external things, but to let human innate ability grow.
Therefore, Dewey believes that the educational process has no purpose outside itself, and the purpose of education lies in the educational process. As a matter of fact, he opposes taking externally imposed goals as indicative goals for children's growth.
2. "School is society"
Dewey believes that since education is a process of social life, school is a form of social life. He stressed that the school should "become a small society, a primary society." In school, we should simplify the real social life into an embryonic state and present the re-presented social life. As far as the specific requirements of "school is society" are concerned, Dewey put forward that, first, the school itself must be a social life with all the significance of social life; Second, on-campus learning should be connected with off-campus learning, and the two should interact freely.
However, "school is society" does not mean a simple reproduction of social life in school. Dewey also believes that schools, as a special environment, should have three important functions, namely, "simplifying and sorting out various factors that tend to develop;" Purify and idealize the existing social customs; Create a broader and more balanced environment than when teenagers are alone. "
(B) Teaching theory
Teaching theory is a very important part of Dewey's pragmatic educational thought system.
1, "Learn by doing"
On the basis of criticizing traditional school education, Dewey put forward the basic principle of "learning by doing". Because people's initial knowledge and the most determined knowledge are all about how to do it. Therefore, the teaching process should be a "doing" process. In his view, if children don't have the opportunity to do it, it will inevitably hinder their natural development. Children are born with a desire to do things and work, and have a strong interest in activities, so special attention should be paid.
Dewey believes that "learning by doing" means "learning from activities" and "learning from experience", which links the knowledge gained in school with the activities in the process of life. Because children can learn from those truly educational and interesting activities, which will help them grow and develop. In Dewey's view, this may mark a turning point in a child's life.
However, the work activities that children "do" or participate in are different from vocational education. Dewey pointed out that implementing the principle of "learning by doing" will make the influence exerted by the school on its members more vivid, lasting and full of cultural significance.
2. Thinking and teaching
Dewey believes that good teaching must arouse children's thinking. The so-called thinking is a wise learning method, or a wise experience method in the teaching process. In his view, if there is no thinking, it is impossible to have a meaningful experience. Therefore, schools must provide situations that can arouse thinking experience.
As a thinking process, it is divided into five steps, commonly known as "five steps of thinking". First, the difficult situation; The second is to determine the difficulty; The third is to put forward various assumptions to solve the problem; The fourth is to infer these assumptions; The fifth is to verify or modify the hypothesis. Dewey pointed out that the order of these five steps is not fixed.
Starting from the "five steps of thinking", Dewey believes that the teaching process is also divided into five steps accordingly. First, teachers provide children with a situation related to the current social life experience; The second is to prepare children to deal with problems in the situation; Third, it is convenient for children to think and assume to solve problems; Fourth, children sort out and arrange their own assumptions to solve problems; Fifth, children test these hypotheses through application. This teaching process is generally called "teaching five steps" in the history of education. In Dewey's view, in this teaching process, children can learn how to create knowledge to meet their needs. However, he also admitted that it was not an easy task.
(3) About children and teachers
Although Dewey is not an advocate of "child-centered" thought, he agrees with it. The most typical passage is: "Now, the coup caused by our education is a shift of focus. This is a change, this is a revolution, which is the same revolution as Copernicus's shift of the center of astronomy from the earth to the sun. Here, children are the center and educational measures are organized around them. "
Dewey criticized the traditional school education and thought that the school life organization should be centered on children, so that everything was mainly for children rather than teachers. Because taking children as the center is in harmony with children's instinct and needs, children are the starting point, center and purpose of school life. Dewey emphasized that "we must stand in the position of children and take children as the starting point."
Dewey, while emphasizing the idea of "taking children as the center", does not agree with the policy of "letting things drift" adopted by teachers. He believes that if teachers take a laissez-faire attitude towards children, they actually give up their own guiding responsibility. In Dewey's view, it is fundamentally wrong to impose it on children from the outside or let them go with the flow completely.
Because the education process is a process in which children and teachers participate together and they really cooperate, children and teachers have closer contact in the education process, so that children can be guided more by teachers. Dewey said, "Teachers, as members of the collective, have more mature and rich experience, and more clearly see the possibility of further development in any proposed design. They not only have the right but also the responsibility to propose policies for activities. " In his view, teachers should not only provide children with appropriate growth opportunities and conditions, but also observe their growth and give real guidance.
Dewey also emphasized the social function of teachers. That is: "Teachers are not simply engaged in cultivating a person, but in forming an appropriate social life." Therefore, every teacher should be aware of the dignity of his profession.
Herbart's Educational Thought
Herbart (1776- 184 1) is a German educator, philosopher, psychologist and a representative figure of subjectivist educational thought. His main works are: General Pedagogy (1806) and Pedagogy Teaching Outline (1835).
1, teaching stage theory
To understand Herbart's teaching stage theory, we must first understand his two concepts "concentration" and "careful thinking". The so-called "concentration" means focusing on one thing at a time and not considering other things. Without concentration, it is impossible to correctly and thoroughly grasp and understand "everything worthy of attention, thinking and feeling" The so-called "deliberation" refers to the unification of one "concentrated activity" after another. Herbart said, "The concentration activities we require cannot happen at the same time, they must be produced one after another. First, there is a concentration activity, then there is another concentration activity, and then they meet in meditation! When people move from one concentrated activity to another, there must be countless such changes, so that they can have rich thinking activities and return to each concentrated activity at will.
Herbart believes that teachers should adopt teaching procedures that conform to the laws of students' psychological activities and carry out teaching in a planned and step-by-step manner. He divided the teaching process into four successive stages:
One is clear. Refers to the teacher explaining the new textbook, breaking it down into many parts, and prompting it to students for them to understand and master. At this time, students' psychology is in a state of "quiet gathering". It is suitable for teachers to "explain short sentences as easily as possible", and it is often an applicable method to let some students (not all students) repeat them accurately immediately after the explanation.
The second is Lenovo. It refers to combining old and new ideas through dialogue between teachers and students. The task of teaching is to combine the new ideas put forward by teachers in the previous stage with the old ideas in students' consciousness. This is the primary stage of apperception. At this time, the psychological performance of students is the concentration of dynamic people. "Free talk is the best way to associate, because students can get the opportunity to try accidental association, which is the easiest and least laborious for him, and at the same time they can get the opportunity to change this association, diversify it and master what they have learned in their own way."
The third is the system. It refers to finding conclusions and laws under the guidance of teachers, making concepts systematic and forming concepts. This is a continuation of apperception. At this point, students' psychology is in a state of "static deliberation", which can make students "see clearly the relationship between many things" and "treat each individual thing as an integral part of this relationship and be in an appropriate position". Teachers should adopt "coherent presentation method", "let students feel the advantages of systematic knowledge by highlighting the main idea, and increase the total amount of knowledge through greater integrity"
The fourth is the method. It refers to applying what you have learned to practice and checking whether students understand new knowledge correctly. At this time, students' psychological performance is dynamic "thinking". The teaching method is mainly to let students do homework, write articles and revise.
2. Education and teaching
In the history of western education, Herbart clearly and systematically proposed and demonstrated the idea of "education and teaching" for the first time, and regarded teaching as the most basic way and means of moral education. He stressed: "the educational concept of teaching without class is the same as the other way around." I don't recognize any' teaching without class'. " In Herbart's view, teaching without moral education is just a means without purpose, and moral education without teaching (or character education) is a purpose without means. The reason why moral education cannot be separated from teaching is because moral cultivation cannot be separated from knowledge. ? "Stupid people can't have virtue." Therefore, it is necessary to impart knowledge through teaching, form various moral concepts, and on this basis, make students develop various moral qualities.
Step 3 cultivate
Herbart's discipline concept is: "It has common characteristics with children's management; Have a direct impact on the child's mind; What they have in common with teaching is that their purpose is to cultivate. " In other words, discipline is an aid to teaching in education. It should cultivate children's "moral character" and cultivate children's psychological state conducive to teaching.
Herbart's training methods are as follows: First, limit. That is, children are required to obey the rules. The second is praise (reward). "Giving children happiness through proper praise is an excellent art of discipline." The third is to blame. . Children, teenagers and young people, people of all ages must get used to putting up with the blame they incur and keep this habit, as long as the blame is appropriate and understandable. "The fourth is punishment." Whoever delays time will be deprived of enjoyment; Whoever does something bad is not entitled to enjoy it; Whoever does not control himself will get bitter medicine; Anyone who speaks will be kicked out of the classroom and go to a place where everyone can't hear; And so on. "This kind of punishment" can serve as a warning and let people learn from their mistakes. The fifth is to establish a healthy living system. This is "the foundation of education, the first preparation of education".
Herbart believes that there are also differences between management and discipline. Management is concerned about the current role, and the means are generally strict. Discipline "will pay attention to the future of students, showing patience, not short-lived and sharp, but continuous, continuous, slowly rooted in people's hearts and gradually stopped, making people feel a kind of edifying power."
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