The embarrassment of the combination of quality education and examination-oriented education
Text/Li Hongdi
Published in the 969th issue of China News Weekly on October 26, 2020
On October 15, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving School Sports Work in the New Era" and "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving School Aesthetic Education in the New Era".
The document reveals the following information: Gradually increase the score of the physical education entrance examination to achieve the same value as the foreign language mathematics; strive to comprehensively cover the aesthetic education entrance examination by 2022.
It is emphasized that the learning of music, fine arts, calligraphy and other art courses by primary and secondary school students and the participation of art practice activities organized by the school shall be included in the academic requirements, the comprehensive implementation of the assessment of the artistic quality of primary and secondary school students, and the exploration of incorporating art subjects into the pilot reform of the high school entrance examination.
Both documents emphasize the importance of comprehensive training of student quality, which makes people think of the quality education that has been advocated.
People usually think that exam-oriented education represents a duck-in-the-duck-style teaching, emphasizes theory and neglects practice, emphasizes practical subjects and neglects literary and physical literacy, only scores first, one-sided pursuit of entrance rate, and examination scores as the only criterion for evaluating the quality of education.
The quality education aims to improve the quality of the educated, and pays attention to the ideological and moral quality, ability training, personality development, physical health and mental health education of people.
Although the two are not antonyms, people generally regard quality education as the opposite of test-oriented education, and in the face of the pressure of entering higher education, it is difficult to fully implement quality education.
The quality education students in some schools have their own characteristics. Take some photos in music, art, and physical education classes, then give some one-time manual classes, experimental classes, organize a few cultural and sports activities, and finally put the photos in the school quality education. At the results exhibition, you're done.
Quality education is certainly not these flashy tricks. If quality education is equated with extracurricular activities, it is difficult to get attention.
This forms a paradox-quality education is opposed to the supremacy of scores, and most schools and students are facing the pressure of entrance examinations, so it is unrealistic to let these teaching activities that are not linked to test scores occupy students' time; if In order to make the school pay more attention to it, the "quality subjects" are also included in the entrance examination. Then when the style and sports curriculum is the same as the language and mathematics, the test scores are the only standard, can its characteristics of emphasizing physical and mental health be reflected?
The reason why exam-oriented education is criticized is that under the pressure of exams, the result of learning has changed from acquiring knowledge, acquiring skills, exercising thinking, etc., to how students fight wits and courage with the person who made the test, and how to cheat during the exam. To high score.
Many people ridicule themselves that they have become illiterate since graduating from high school, probably because what they have learned over the years is only the ability to complete the exam, rather than the knowledge that can be applied.
Even if the "Preface to the Pavilion of the King of Teng" is backside down, forming muscle memory, seeing the sunset and flying birds still can only suffocate the phrase "good red cloud".
When cultural and sports education also embarks on this path, can students' physical and mental health really improve as a result, or will they be left behind as soon as the exam is over?
You must know that the cultivation of literary and physical literacy does not happen overnight, and the techniques used to cope with the exam will probably be forgotten faster than the "Preface to the King of Teng" after the exam.
Instead of solving the overwhelming fundamental problem of the enrollment rate, instead of drawing the unquantifiable quality education into the exam, will the end result just expand the business of extracurricular tutoring and training institutions?
China News Weekly, Issue 39, 2020
Statement: The publication of "China News Weekly" manuscript is authorized in writing