Compiling teaching materials is the key to improve teaching quality

■ "Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up"

After the Cultural Revolution, Comrade Deng Xiaoping volunteered to take charge of science and education as soon as he came back. With the extraordinary courage and scientific attitude of Marxists, he took overthrowing the "two estimates", fully affirming the educational work in the 17 years since the founding of New China, and affirming that intellectuals are part of the working class as a breakthrough to set things right and emancipate the mind, and made a series of major measures, such as resuming the enrollment of college entrance examination, compiling national general textbooks, and sending more students to study abroad. It is precisely because of Comrade Xiaoping’s efforts in education and teaching materials that the education cause has been transformed, the teaching materials work has been brought out of order, and new teaching materials have been edited and published soon. Comrade Xiaoping attached great importance to the construction of textbooks in primary and secondary schools. He not only had a series of important expositions, but also personally grasped the reconstruction of textbooks, forming a complete and systematic idea of textbook construction. On the occasion of commemorating the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, it is still of great guiding significance to review Comrade Xiaoping’s exposition on the construction of textbooks for primary and secondary schools.

　　　　"Teaching materials, this is a key matter."

Since the founding of New China, the party and state leaders have attached great importance to the construction of textbooks for primary and secondary schools. At the beginning of the founding of New China, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council decided to set up People’s Education Publishing House, which was specially designed to compile and publish textbooks for primary and secondary school students all over the country, with Ye Shengtao, a famous educator and deputy director of the General Administration of Publishing, as the first president and editor-in-chief. Chairman Mao personally wrote the name of the society for People’s Education Publishing House. In 1953, Chairman Mao also instructed relevant departments to mobilize experts, scholars and well-known teachers from all over the country to strengthen the compilation of teaching materials for PEP.

After the "Cultural Revolution", everything needs to be done. Deng Xiaoping believes that the key to socialist modernization is scientific and technological modernization. Talent is the key to the advancement of science and technology. Education is the foundation of talent cultivation, and basic education is the foundation of foundation. To do a good job in basic education and improve teaching quality, "the key is teaching materials". He said: "During the’ Cultural Revolution’, China’s education was interfered by Lin Biao and the Gang of Four, and the quality of students’ learning and the level of teaching materials were greatly reduced, which made our education suffer considerable losses from primary school to university. Now that the Gang of Four has been overthrown, it is possible to truly follow Chairman Mao’s path. To improve the quality of teaching materials, it is time to study them seriously. " "If we want to catch up with the world’s advanced level in science and technology, we should not only improve the quality of higher education, but also improve the quality of primary and secondary education, and enrich the educational content of primary and secondary schools with advanced scientific knowledge according to the acceptable level of primary and secondary school students." "Compiling textbooks is the key to improving teaching (quality)." "This is a key matter."

Comrade Xiaoping not only realized the great significance of teaching materials from a strategic perspective, but also personally grasped the reconstruction of teaching materials during the period of bringing order out of chaos and actively promoted the implementation of various tasks. He said: "The more urgent problem now is the problem of teaching materials." "It seems that textbooks must be started from primary and secondary schools." Under his strong impetus, in March 1978, the State Council approved the report of the Ministry of Education and the Publishing Bureau on the work conference on textbook publishing and distribution, and restored the textbook editing system and publishing and distribution methods. Under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping’s thought on textbook construction, the cause of textbooks in primary and secondary schools in China has quickly entered the track of normalization and scientificization, which has made an inestimable contribution to bringing order out of chaos, cleaning up the roots, improving the quality of education and stabilizing social order.

"The Ministry of Education should take charge of teaching materials, and we can’t imagine that our country can have no unified middle school teaching materials."

The unification of textbooks in primary and secondary schools is one of the new policies for the construction of New China, and it is also the advantage of China’s socialist education system. Ten years of catastrophe, education is the "hardest hit", the school system and teaching order are completely disrupted, and the teaching materials are fragmented. The "revolutionary teaching materials" compiled are varied and the teaching quality is seriously declining. After ten years of turmoil, the first set of textbooks compiled by primary and secondary schools nationwide was completed under the personal leadership of Comrade Xiaoping. From transferring personnel and looking for a house to introducing foreign teaching materials, reading briefings in person, giving instructions and meeting editors. It can be said that without Comrade Xiaoping’s great attention and personal leadership, the first set of national primary and secondary school unified textbooks after the "ten-year turmoil" could not have been successfully published in a short time.

It is Comrade Xiaoping’s consistent proposition to compile textbooks for primary and secondary schools. As early as 1958, when he discussed the education work at the the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee meeting, he pointed out: "The Ministry of Education should take care of teaching materials, and it is impossible to imagine that our country can not have unified middle school teaching materials." In July and August, 1977, Comrade Xiaoping proposed several times to compile textbooks for primary and secondary schools in China, and asked freshmen to use new textbooks when they entered school in the autumn of 1978. He stressed: "Teaching materials are very important, so we should unify them." Under the direct impetus of Comrade Xiaoping, in September 1977, the state held the "National Conference on Textbook Compilation for Primary and Secondary Schools", which decided to compile the first set of national general textbooks after the end of the "Cultural Revolution", and selected a large number of experts, scholars and outstanding teachers from all over the country to concentrate on compiling general textbooks in Beijing in the name of "National Conference on Textbook Compilation for Primary and Secondary Schools". In September, 1978, primary and secondary schools all over the country began to use the newly compiled general textbooks as scheduled, that is, the fifth set of textbooks published by People’s Education Press, and the school teaching order was on the right track, which quickly changed the situation of the shortage and confusion of textbooks in primary and secondary schools in China.

Comrade Xiaoping also has specific opinions on how to manage teaching materials well. He said: "Textbooks for primary and secondary schools can be compiled by all localities, and it is not necessary for the Ministry of Education to do it behind closed doors. With regard to teaching materials and education system, the Ministry of Education should put forward ideas and proposals, and pay attention to grasping typical examples, summing up advanced experience and popularizing them. " "Just like being a soldier in the next company, you should go down as a’ student’, listen to the class, understand the situation, and supervise the implementation of plans and policies."

"There must be enough qualified manpower to ensure the compilation of teaching materials"

During the "Cultural Revolution", there were no national institutions and personnel to compile teaching materials. After the "Cultural Revolution", strengthening the construction of teaching materials institutions and teams is not only an urgent need to solve the problem of scattered and backward teaching materials and improve teaching quality, but also an objective requirement to respect the law of teaching materials construction and mobilize the enthusiasm of textbook writers. In 1977, Comrade Xiaoping said: "We must create an atmosphere within the Party: respect for knowledge and respect for talents." In view of the situation that the professional team of textbook construction in primary and secondary schools was scattered everywhere at that time, he decisively pointed out: "I will take new textbooks to class in the future. It is necessary to organize a strong team to compile textbooks for large, middle and primary schools. " On February 10, 1978, he gave an instruction in the report of the leading group of the Ministry of Education on inviting cadres to edit and publish textbooks: "Compiling textbooks is the key to improving teaching, and there must be enough qualified manpower to guarantee it." According to Comrade Xiaoping’s instructions, the Ministry of Education dispatched more than 200 people from all over the country to start work in 12 writing groups according to the disciplines of primary and secondary schools in the name of the "National Conference on Textbook Writing for Primary and Secondary Schools", and in accordance with its instructions, the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Municipal Committee found a place for these textbook editors to live, and successively stayed in Xiyuan Hotel and Xiangshan Hotel with a quieter environment.

In 1980s, the reform and opening-up in China was carried out in an all-round way, and the construction of textbooks for primary and secondary schools was also on the right track. It is recognized that it is impossible to build a first-class textbook with China characteristics, and it is necessary to have the spirit of "textbook battle", as well as long-term research and experiments and solid academic accumulation. In order to make the compilation of textbooks for primary and secondary schools better based on scientific research, in June 1983, the Ministry of Education established the Institute of Curriculum Textbooks, which is a set of institutions and two brands with People’s Education Publishing House. Comrade Xiaoping is busy with everything, but in his busy schedule, he wrote his name for the research of curriculum and teaching materials. This reflects Comrade Xiaoping’s great attention and ardent expectation for education, scientific research and textbook construction in primary and secondary schools. After the establishment of the Institute of Curriculum Textbooks, inspired by Comrade Xiaoping’s inscription, according to the needs of national modernization and education construction, combined with the reality of the reform and development of basic education curriculum materials, we have continuously strengthened cooperation at home and abroad, extensively contacted experts from various disciplines and teachers and researchers all over the country, and carried out a series of in-depth research on topics, becoming the national team and main force in the construction of curriculum materials, laying a solid foundation for the compilation and editing of many sets of primary and secondary school textbooks, and also trained a large number of leading figures and famous experts in the field of basic education curriculum and teaching materials.

"Teaching materials should reflect the advanced level of modern science and culture, and at the same time conform to the actual situation in China."

Comrade Xiaoping has put forward many important opinions on textbook compilation, which are in line with the characteristics and laws of textbook compilation. To sum up, there are five main points:

First, the integrity of the teaching materials-"a series of things should be reflected in the teaching materials." Textbooks are the core teaching materials of a course, the important basis for teachers to teach and the main carrier for students to learn, so we should first reflect the systematic knowledge and complete content of the subject as comprehensively as possible. This should be a basic requirement for the compilation of teaching materials. Comrade Xiaoping clearly pointed out when talking about military textbooks in 1977: "The content of the textbooks should enable students to know their enemies and themselves; We should attach importance to our own war experience; We should have knowledge of modern warfare, such as tanks, planes, air, ground and sea, joint operations of various services and arms, and so on. In short, a series of things must be reflected in the textbook. " Moreover, he also pointed out that "labor is also teaching, and it is a political and ideological course … Schools should set labor in the curriculum and stipulate half a day every week." "It is necessary to resume the guidance of students’ extracurricular activities, increase their knowledge and ambition, and promote their all-round development."

The second is the advanced nature of teaching materials-"When compiling teaching materials, we must absorb the advanced things in the world." Deng Xiaoping believes that only by "enriching the educational content of primary and secondary schools with advanced scientific knowledge" can we "improve the quality of primary and secondary education" and "catch up with the advanced world level in science and technology". Comrade Xiaoping repeatedly said in several conversations with the person in charge of the Ministry of Education: "From the beginning of teaching the most advanced things, students will be inspired to develop in a broader and deeper direction." "When compiling teaching materials, we must absorb advanced things from the world and make foreign things serve China, especially in natural science." "To learn foreign advanced technology. You can spend money to buy foreign technical materials and compile them into teaching materials. " According to Comrade Xiaoping’s instructions, the central government allocated $100,000 to the Ministry of Education as a special fund to buy foreign teaching materials for textbook writers and editors to study and learn from. Later, Comrade Xiaoping put forward the famous assertion that "education should face modernization, the world and the future", which can be said to be the sublimation and development of his idea that "teaching materials should reflect the most advanced scientific knowledge". In the new century, "Three Orientations" is not only an important principle for compiling textbooks for primary and secondary schools, but also a guiding ideology for the curriculum reform of national basic education.

The third is the adaptability of teaching materials-"compiling teaching materials in combination with our own reality". Comrade Xiaoping has always believed that learning from foreign experience must be combined with China’s specific reality and take the road of socialism with China characteristics. The same is true for the construction of teaching materials. We must consider China’s national conditions and teaching conditions, especially the excellent traditional culture and glorious history of the Chinese nation. In September 1977, Comrade Xiaoping said in a conversation with several responsible persons of the Ministry of Education: "I read the briefing on foreign teaching materials compiled by you. It seems that teaching materials must be started from primary and secondary schools, and teaching must teach the most advanced content. Of course, it cannot be divorced from the actual situation in China. " It is necessary to "import a batch of foreign natural science textbooks" and "compile new textbooks in combination with our own reality".

The fourth is the acceptability of teaching materials-"according to the acceptable level of primary and secondary school students, enrich the educational content of primary and secondary schools with advanced scientific knowledge." The selection of textbook content should meet the requirements of curriculum standards, reflect the characteristics of students’ physical and mental development and cognitive laws, and be conducive to students’ use of existing knowledge and experience, which has always been an important principle in textbook compilation. Comrade Xiaoping believes that it is necessary to "enrich the educational content of primary and secondary schools with advanced scientific knowledge" and to compile teaching materials "according to the acceptable level of primary and secondary school students". He said: "It is not good for students to bear too much burden, and effective measures should be taken to prevent and correct it in the future. But it is also obvious that to greatly improve the scientific and cultural level, there is no style of’ three old four strict’, no strict requirements from difficulties, no strict training, and no goal can be achieved. " Therefore, the content, weight and progress of teaching materials must be suitable for students’ learning and acceptable to them. Otherwise, the compilation of teaching materials does not meet the students’ cognitive laws and needs, and no matter how good the teaching materials and correct the theory are, it is difficult to play a role.

The fifth is the simplicity of teaching materials-"the teaching materials of primary and secondary schools should be streamlined, and the teaching materials of universities should also be streamlined." Deng Xiaoping said: "The basic principle of educational work is to follow Chairman Mao’s educational line. Chairman Mao’s educational revolutionary thought should be understood and implemented accurately and completely. For example, textbooks should be streamlined, one is simple, and the other is refined. Jane had no content, so she lost this fine word; Jane, you can’t lower the quality. Modern natural science is advancing by leaps and bounds, and if teaching materials are to be refined, they must conform to the development level of modern science and educate young people with the latest scientific knowledge. " Subjects in primary and secondary schools are not the same as science, and the textbooks of a subject are not abbreviations or simplifications of that scientific work. Therefore, "you can’t find vegetables in the basket when compiling teaching materials" (in Ye Shengtao’s words), you must choose and organize them scientifically and reasonably, just like bees absorb the essence of flowers and brew honey through their own labor.

(The author is the editor-in-chief of People’s Education Publishing House)

China Education News, 9th edition, December 26th, 2018.