Contemporary Education (Revised Edition 2004) with CD-ROM

Author: Yuan Zhenfu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-18
Features: In the nearly 20 years since the publication of "Educational Psychology," there have been over 200 editions. However, few have brought fresh perspectives, all still adhering to old systems and models. Although some have incorporated new content, the framework remains outdated, sticking to the traditional four major sections, which feel out of sync with the vibrant reality of education. Recently, I read Professor Yuan Zhenfu's edited "Contemporary Educational Psychology" and was struck by its fresh approach. What makes it new? I believe it lies in three key aspects: a new perspective, a new framework, and new content.
What should an educational textbook like "Educational Psychology" impart to students? I think there are two types of textbooks: one is knowledge-based, primarily teaching students facts to build upon for further learning, such as many science textbooks; the other is concept-based, focusing on the theoretical viewpoints and methods of a discipline, such as many philosophy or economics textbooks. Of course, knowledge and concepts cannot be separated—concepts without knowledge are empty, and knowledge without concepts is blind. However, in terms of teaching tasks, there is always a primary focus. So, what should an "Educational Psychology" textbook teach?
Past editions of "Educational Psychology" attempted to fulfill multiple roles: providing future teachers with extensive knowledge, establishing an educational perspective, and teaching various educational methods. The result was overly complex content, leaving students unable to grasp the key points, with neither perspective nor methods effectively learned. "Educational Psychology" is a foundational theoretical discipline within the educational science system. Therefore, I believe its primary task is to help students develop a correct educational perspective and the ability to think and solve problems through foundational theory. A correct perspective is not acquired through preaching or indoctrination but is built through the exploration of various educational issues.
Education is a complex social activity. The late educator Ye Shengtao once said, "Teaching has methods, but there is no fixed method." This means there are many teaching methods, but they must vary depending on the situation, person, and context—they are not rigid. However, the laws of education remain constant, and a correct perspective aligned with these laws is relatively stable. Once established, it can inspire the creation of new methods and achieve better educational outcomes. Of course, educational perspectives must also evolve with changing times and new research findings in educational science, which aligns with the developmental of education.
The novelty of "Contemporary Educational Psychology" first lies in its fresh perspective. The authors write in the "Teaching Suggestions" section on page: 'One of the fundamental goals of this book is not only to tell students what and how but also to inspire them to think about why and how. We believe that no educational viewpoint, principle, or method is the only or best—every educational phenomenon can be understood differently, with different ideals and pursuits, leading to different educational styles. Therefore, the book aims to stimulate students' interest through the introduction and analysis of various educational ideas, schools of thought, and models, fostering their ability and habit to identify, reflect on, and address problems, as well as to make independent choices.' This means it does not simply knowledge to students but introduces theories, ideas, and methods related to educational issues, encouraging students to think, discuss, and master problem-solving skills, including perspectives and methods. This also reflects the student-centered approach.
Second, it lies in its new framework. The book breaks away from the old four-section theoretical structure, striving to establish a new one. The book is divided into two parts: the first part discusses internal issues of education, including its various elements: theoretical elements, personnel elements, information elements (curriculum content), and management elements. The second part discusses external relationships, including education's two major functions—individual development and social development—and the resulting relationships between education and economics, politics, science and technology, and culture. I cannot say this framework is the best, but I can say it is novel and innovative. The old educational psychology framework first addressed external issues of education, followed by specific school-related work. The more specific it became, the less theoretical it was, and the less interested students were. In 1980, when I was compiling "Educational Psychology" for secondary normal schools, I noticed this problem. In the edition, I reversed the order, starting with the subjects of education—teachers and students—before discussing educational objectives, content, and methods, and then addressing external issues and new trends in international education. However, the teachers of secondary normal school educational psychology found this framework unfamiliar. In the second edition, I had to revert to the old structure. This shows how strong the force of habit can be. This time, "Contemporary Educational Psychology" breaks the four-section framework, dividing the content into two major parts. The part unifies the elements of education, from educational objectives to evaluation and management, forming a cohesive whole. The second part, as an advanced section, discusses the relationships between education and other social activities. This is quite innovative.
Finally, it lies in its new content. Because of its fresh perspective, the book's content is also new. For each issue, it does not simply list existing concepts and conclusions but introduces contemporary perspectives, understandings, and theories on the topic. The new content is reflected in the following aspects.
Pay attention to the relationship between inheritance and innovation. Innovation does not mean discarding history but developing on its foundation. For example, when discussing the "Development of Educational Psychology," it not only covers the intellectual origins of educational psychology, from ancient to modern times and from China to the West, but also systematically introduces Herbart's "Educational Psychology," Dewey's "Democracy and Education," and Kaelin's "Educational Psychology," the three most influential educational psychology books on China, and then discusses the diversification of contemporary educational psychology. education, not like general "Educational Psychology" textbooks only to teach China's educational policy and system, but briefly introduces our country since the founding of the experience, then to today's educational objectives, structure.
Emphasize the absorption of world education development experience and research results. Education is the future, and educators need foresight. To achieve this, one must look to the world, understanding the current state and trends of global education development. "Contemporary Educational Psychology" dedicates a chapter to "Contemporary World Education," introducing an overview of global educational development and various educational trends, while other chapters also cover educational theories from different countries. This is very helpful for teachers to broaden their horizons, look to the world, and grasp the future.
Emphasize the combination of theory and practice. The book not only introduces many advanced educational ideas and theories but also closely ties them to China's reality, emphasizing the summary of our own experience. It provides many cases for students to think about. Especially in the moral education section, it mentions moral judgment and dilemma issues with some cases, which will be very enlightening for students. The book also specially introduces the teaching reform experiment in Qingpu County, Shanghai, which is the most successful domestic experiment in China, using it to illustrate that we can indeed create our own experience and theories. There are many other new contents in the book, or new interpretations of old issues. In this short article, it is impossible to list them all. It can be said that the book, from its title to its content, uses a new way of expression, using modern trendy language, the author attempts to establish a new discourse system of educational psychology.
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, education is a complex social activity, and establishing a new educational psychology is not an easy task. There are also some points worth reconsidering in the book, such as the chapter on the division of educational development, which leaves a gap between ancient and modern education, including the Renaissance period, which seems illogical in historical division;, calling "teaching" the behavior of teachers rather than students, which is debatable. It can be said that teaching work is the behavior of teachers, but teaching, as an activity process, should be a two-way activity between teachers and students, and should be the behavior of both sides. Other chapters also have logical arrangements that could be improved.