-Cai Yuanpei's educational thought

In terms of educational methods, Cai Yuanpei advocates general education. He believes that China's old education fetters children's individuality and violates the laws of human natural development, while the new education should develop children's individuality and respect their free development. He attaches great importance to basic education, especially children's education. He said: "General education is like the foundation of a house. With the foundation, you can build pavilions. " "Primary school teachers are the most important in society, and their responsibilities are greater than those of principals." Cai Yuanpei advocates that education should adapt to the reality of the physical and mental development of the educated. He said that educators should "fully understand the process of children's physical and mental development and choose various appropriate methods to help them." Just like farmers treat plants, "irrigate them when they are dry, raise them when they are weak, put them in greenhouses when they are afraid of cold, and use chemical fertilizers when they eat quickly." He strongly opposes education that goes against nature and binds personality.

In terms of teaching methods, Cai Yuanpei emphasizes the "automation", "self-study" and "consciousness" of students' learning. He believes: "School education pays attention to students' sound personality, so learning should be automatic everywhere. "He asked students to pay attention to master the basic laws when studying, and to draw inferences. Teachers are required to adopt heuristic methods in teaching, not injection. He said: "We don't just fill a bottle with water, the most important thing is to arouse students' interest in reading." Teachers should adopt different methods to educate students according to their respective characteristics and situations, so that their personalities can be fully developed.