Research-based Learning Teacher Guide

Author: Miao Changguang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-04-01
Features: This is a set of books that are challenging and transcendent. The challenges and transcensions are aimed at three aspects. First, in terms of educational research. It must be admitted that in the past one or two decades, China's educational research has achieved remarkable results. However, upon careful analysis, we also have to acknowledge that some research projects follow trends and lose touch with reality; some arguments lack originality and are pieced together; certain educational monographs lack innovation and conceal individuality. From the perspective of the times, there is still a significant gap in the cultural accumulation awareness of educational theory and its influence both domestically and internationally. Second, in terms of educational reform. Since the reform and opening-up, China's educational reform experiments have been flourishing, with an endless stream of topics across various fields and solutions competing in all levels. The breadth of mobilization and the scale of influence, as well as the number of new problems proposed and solved, are unparalleled in modern times. However, upon deeper examination, many reforms still remain at the level of teaching, with few successful models of new interaction between teachers and students or mutual learning. The efficiency of educational input and output is not high, and students' learning goals are disconnected from the learning process. Quality training is inadequate or even misplaced. Third, in terms of educational publishing. Compared to educational research and reform, China's educational publishing suffers from lagging and imbalance, with a tendency to marginalize. The selection structure, product structure, and profit structure of publishers rely too heavily on supplementary reading materials. Original works with Chinese characteristics, especially those independently developed and branded educational theories, are difficult to meet the needs of teachers and students. In the personnel structure of publishers, there are few experts and scholars familiar with education and deeply engaged in it, as well as few core figures who remain passionate about educational reform and devout about educational research. Many publishers are not truly part of the educational academic community; instead, they focus more on supplementary materials and pursue the comparative interests of micro-economic units. When commands like "reduce burden" and "limit prices" are issued and their policy effectiveness diminishes, "inefficiency in scale" often falls upon them. In summary, in the various links of China's educational research, practice, and publishing, there are still not enough individuals who delve into reality, work diligently, explore hard, and voice new insights. There are still few educational research works that are pragmatic, insightful, independent, and distinctive. There are still many high-quality, practice-oriented, original, and classic publications that need to be vigorously developed. Against this cultural backdrop and publishing environment, it is indeed a great honor and joy for our publishing house to secure the publication of the "Research-Based Learning" series edited by Professor Huo Yiping. Sincerely.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, this series of books possesses the qualities of challenge and transcendence. Professor Huo, with a decade of experience in training secondary school principals, has devoted three years to in-depth practice, compiling the experiences of more than ten designated experimental middle schools from seven provinces (municipalities) in carrying out research-based learning. Addressing the urgent needs of frontline educational practitioners for conducting research-based learning, Professor Huo has edited this series. It includes Professor Huo's reflections and summaries, as well as case studies from experimental schools, with all authors being themselves experimenters in curriculum development. The series features teachers' personal experiences of updating their concepts and transforming their roles, as well as explorations into the operational norms of research-based learning courses. It covers various aspects such as management mechanisms, management methods and software, evaluation standards and methods, and the development of community educational resources. Finally, it includes vivid case studies of students' research-based learning, along with feedback from parents and other societal stakeholders. To provide reference coefficients for research-based learning, Professor Huo has also organized the collection and compilation of outstanding excerpts on research-based learning from abroad and Hong Kong and Taiwan regions. It can be said that this series makes preliminary attempts to transform advanced curriculum concepts into practical operations for primary and secondary schools. It offers both references and originality; it stems from practical exploration yet serves practice; it has both macro and meso perspectives of the times and micro-level specific operations; it has both practical guidance and a forward-looking, transcendent, and open spiritual core that is capable of deep development and sustainability.
As publishers, we have followed Professor Huo's research, immersed ourselves in some experimental schools, attended classes, and held discussions, engaging in broad exchanges with principals, teachers, and students. We have been deeply moved and enlightened, leading us to reflect on and examine our publishing philosophy and mission. Our motivation for publishing this series is to serve China's educational reform and to disseminate science and culture. The process of publishing itself is also a process of research-based learning, and our ultimate goal is education. Education, as the inheritance, expansion, and innovation of human civilization's spirit, is a complex systematic project. It not only requires institutional support but also demands the support of a group of education researchers, practitioners, and reformers with a sense of mission. In short, it requires theories with vitality and operational tools and methods with efficiency. We are willing to be active supporters. Publishing this series is a small but meaningful action on our part.
Of course, research-based learning is still in its early stages in China, with many issues yet to be further explored and resolved through practice, and many theoretical topics still needing continuous deepening and improvement. This series is a preliminary summary of the early stages and is inevitably imperfect. For example, some student sub-project proposals are too broad, with overly large topics, some are overly socialized or adult-oriented, and some are too results-oriented, with excessive utilitarianism that overlooks the exploratory nature of research-based learning, and so on. These issues await our efforts to overcome.
Based on the goals and characteristics of research-based learning courses and rooted in teaching practice, this book systematically summarizes the experiences and insights of teachers in implementing research-based learning, specifically analyzes various operational models of research-based learning, and emphasizes the responsibilities and roles teachers should play in the process. It elaborates in detail on the teachers' roles and qualities required, specific guidance at each stage, the organization and management of the course, and the evaluation of student practice. The book is clear in its logic, well-structured, and provides a newly constructed comprehensive practical curriculum that emphasizes the process. It features rich and vivid case studies, detailed measures and methods, strong targeting, and high operability, offering guidance for schools and teachers who are about to implement research-based learning.