Recently, the news of "half of middle school teachers interviewing doctors" rushed into the hot search on Weibo, arousing social attention.
Why should current primary and secondary schools hire doctors as teachers?
Why are the doctors rushing to apply?
After reading for so many years, I ended up as a teacher in elementary and middle schools. Is this a waste of overcapacity and talent?
Original intention of hiring
Ph.D. diversifies our school's faculty structure
Niu Xiaohua, President of Beijing Second Middle School Education Group
The emergence of the social phenomenon of "Doctors entering primary and secondary schools as teachers" is not a simple problem of rising academic qualifications, but is mainly caused by the diversified adjustment of the teacher structure of primary and secondary schools.
Take Beijing No. 2 Middle School as an example.
There are more than 10 doctoral teachers in the school, who are distributed in many teaching positions such as science and technology, art, and psychology.
When recruiting them, the school will first pay attention to their undergraduate professional studies, and learn about their professional qualities, professional abilities, and specialties through academic performance and other aspects.
After they are employed, the school will formulate individualized training programs based on their respective strengths to give full play to their advantages.
For example, the first doctoral degree recruited by Beijing No. 2 Middle School was in chemistry. The school set up a separate studio for this teacher, not only allowing him to participate in chemistry teaching and conducting research on topics, but also let him lead student associations and be responsible for competition guidance. , Carry out research study.
When more and more Ph.Ds enter the work of Beijing No. 2 Middle School, we found that in addition to participating in subject teaching, the advantages of these PhD teachers' research learning ability are significantly better than those of undergraduate teachers, especially in project research and student associations.
This is obviously related to their doctoral learning experience. After teaching, their professional ability to learn and delve becomes prominent.
Of course, this is not to say that teachers with a bachelor’s degree are definitely inferior to doctoral teachers. A bachelor’s degree is the foundation and professional support. If a teacher with a bachelor’s degree has good learning ability and potential, he can also teach students well after teaching. The results come.
It's just that the Ph.D. has carried out self-intensive processing on the university campus. If they participate in the recruitment under the same circumstances, their advantages may be more obvious.
In fact, the original intention of the school's recruitment is mainly derived from the diversified adjustment of the teacher structure, aiming to meet the individual needs of student development.
After all, every teacher has strengths, but they cannot be proficient in everything.
Therefore, the school's teacher structure should be rich, hierarchical, and differentiated.
At the same time, the deepening of education reforms and the continuous increase of students' learning needs have spawned many new teacher positions.
In the future, the channels for recruiting teachers in primary and secondary schools may be more extensive, and the source of teachers will expand from a relatively single institution to more universities.
Take technology as an example.
In the past, the positions of teachers were relatively single, and science and technology tutors might be part-time teachers of related subjects in the school.
Nowadays, the professional quality of science and technology teachers needs to be greatly improved, and they should even be able to offer courses in the latest science and technology such as artificial intelligence, so as to provide more professional guidance to students, and the position of science and technology teacher has also become a full-time position.
The same applies to teachers of art and physical education courses.
Due to the higher learning needs of students, school dance groups, choirs, orchestras and other student associations need to strengthen teachers.
The physical education class is also constantly introducing new projects, such as roller skating, skating, fencing, taekwondo, rhythmic gymnastics, etc. The school needs to recruit some specialized talents to teach students.
In addition, under the requirements of the "double reduction" policy, after-school services have been continuously deepened, and the types of elective courses need to be enriched. For example, the elective courses offered by Beijing No. 2 Middle School, such as psychology, housekeeping, clothing design, and 3D printing, all require professional teachers. .
As for why doctors favor the posts of teachers in elementary and middle schools, and there is even a tendency to rush to apply for jobs, I think there are two main reasons: First, the country attaches importance to education, and the society is becoming more and more respectful of teachers and teachers in elementary and middle schools. It is attractive enough for highly educated talents.
Secondly, most Ph.Ds have been reused by schools after entering primary and secondary schools. They feel that they are useful and are willing to stay in primary and secondary schools to display their talents.
With the development and progress of society, it will no longer be a new thing for doctors to be teachers in middle and elementary schools, but will become a natural social phenomenon.
Speak out
Doctoral teaching to elementary school students is not "oversized"
Shijia Hutong Primary School Teacher Yao Hui
"You have all got a Ph.D. Why do you want to teach elementary school?" This is the question I have been asked the most in the two years I have worked.
In fact, as a Ph.D., I chose primary education as a career after careful consideration. I also foresee that more and more Ph.Ds will enter the field of education.
Because the country has vigorously developed higher education in recent years, more and more highly educated talents have poured into all walks of life. As education is a key area for the country to focus and develop, it is inevitable for some masters and doctoral graduates to enter basic education.
In my eyes, there has never been the so-called “overkill” in teaching elementary school students with doctoral degrees. The profession of teacher has been respected in China since ancient times, and it is a sacred profession.
Education is a key part of cultivating the next generation and nurturing the latest social productivity. No amount of time and effort can be spent on teaching and educating people. It is worthwhile to attract more high-quality talents into the teaching staff.
Of course, it is not to say that high education is equivalent to high quality, but some professional qualities formed in the doctoral training process are highly compatible with the requirements of teachers at the primary and secondary education stage. Therefore, in recent years, more and more primary and secondary schools have been affected. s concern.
First of all, the process of pursuing a doctoral degree, in addition to the need to make contributions in the professional field, can also be regarded as a process of one person's research and growth, which promotes the development of a comprehensive and comprehensive quality of doctoral students.
To put it simply, professional research is usually the process of trying to figure out some problems or solving a certain problem.
In this process, it is necessary for doctoral students to independently identify, screen, and learn from the massive research in previous related fields, and then innovate and form ideas suitable for the research of this subject.
This allows them to have a strong learning ability, and at the same time form a logically rigorous and innovative thinking.
These qualities are also very important for the learning and all-round development of various subjects of primary and middle school students. In the teaching process, if it can be passed to students through the supplement of teaching content or the design of teaching links, it can effectively promote the students' learning mentality and state. The role of transformation.
Secondly, the addition of a Ph.D. can enrich the diversity of school teaching.
The campus is the main place for students to communicate with the outside world every day, which is equivalent to the "small world" or "small society" they are in at this stage. The participation of different types of teachers can make the spiritual world of students more diverse and broaden their horizons invisibly , Giving them more windows to understand the world.
For example, some students who understand my professional background will ask me questions about study, research and university life in my spare time. From their eyes, I can feel the students’ yearning for a better life in the future, so I am willing to encourage and help them do Good study plan.
Not only that, each Ph.D. has a unique professional background, and these cutting-edge fields can actually be found in teaching.
For example, in combination with my major in biology, I once designed a comprehensive practical activity class "The Mystery of Microorganisms". In the second half of this class, I introduced to the students related topics during Ph.D. The modified bacteria ferment to produce a bio-based plastic.
The children observed the products in the laboratory at close range and learned about the most cutting-edge scientific research directions. They were very touched in their hearts and formed more meta-cognitions.
However, I do not deny that non-teaching Ph.Ds do lack experience in practical fields such as classroom management. At the beginning, they often encounter difficulties in classroom control when facing young students.
But what I want to clarify in particular is that the Ph.D. group is not as "high IQ, low EQ" and "not very good at dealing with people" as some people think.
Most of the Ph.Ds I know are people who are developing at the same time as "double business", because now universities and scientific research institutes also provide a variety of communication platforms and opportunities for Ph.Ds, ensuring that they develop communication while conducting professional research. And the ability to express.
Under such a premise, a certain amount of teaching experience and self-directed learning can help doctors fill up their shortcomings in classroom management and quickly adapt to the work of teaching and educating people.
The most fundamental task of education is to foster talents. I believe that schools will not only consider academic qualifications when considering employment. I hope that doctors and schools can find a development model that complements each other, so that education can better save for the development of students and society. energy.
College countermeasures
Undergraduate normal students should make plans for further study
Wang Haiyan, Director and Professor, Teacher Education Center, Capital Normal University
Teachers at the undergraduate level will not only be present, but will also be the main force of the primary and secondary school teachers in our country for a long time in the future, especially the important force of primary and junior high school teachers.
However, due to the different characteristics and structural layout of the three stages of education in elementary school, junior high school, and high school, teachers’ academic levels will show differences; the economic, political, and cultural development levels and location characteristics of different regions also directly lead to the structure of the academic qualifications of the teaching staff. difference.
Take Beijing as an example. According to statistics released in 2021, among the existing high school teachers, junior high school teachers, and elementary school teachers, the proportions of teachers with postgraduate qualifications are 35%, 24%, and 10%, respectively, and the proportion of teachers with undergraduate qualifications is 65%. , 75% and 84%.
It is not difficult to see that, in response to the rise of the school level, the level of teachers’ academic qualifications is gradually increasing.
With the continuous enhancement of the degree of popularization of higher education in China and the expansion of the scale of postgraduate training year by year, it will be inevitable for graduates with high academic qualifications to join the teaching team.
To a certain extent, this situation will cause a certain degree of employment pressure for normal students with a bachelor’s degree, especially in some large cities and developed areas, where undergraduate normal students apply for “prestigious schools” and “demonstrations” in high schools, elementary and junior high schools. The difficulty of teaching in “schools” has increased.
So, what are the career development prospects of undergraduate normal students?
In terms of improving the professional quality of undergraduate normal students, on the one hand, one needs to be self-reliant.
In recent years, China has continued to explore the transformation and upgrading of undergraduate teacher training in normal universities, and the talent training system has become increasingly diversified, individualized and distinctive.
Such as the "Double Training Program" that the Normal University cooperates with other universities, the "Outside Training Program" that cooperates with foreign universities, and the "Excellent Teacher Training Program", "major + minor" compound talents or even "double bachelor" interdisciplinary talent training Such methods have shown that undergraduate teacher education actively adapts to the comprehensive reform of basic education and the reform of curriculum teaching in primary and secondary schools, allowing many undergraduate normal students to surpass the original single growth path.
The solid foundation and integration of disciplines in undergraduate normal education are strengthening the educational competence of undergraduate normal students.
It can be said that today's undergraduate teacher students are becoming a new type of teacher students supported by high-level disciplines and high-level teacher education.
This transformation and upgrading of teacher education deserves the full attention of primary and secondary schools and all walks of life. From this, the professional advantages of undergraduate teacher students can be rediscovered, and the role of undergraduate teacher education in cultivating outstanding teachers in compulsory education can be brought into full play.
On the other hand, it is necessary to start a career consciously.
Education is the "learning of being obsessed with the growth of others". The teacher's professional learning of discipline + education, practice + reflection, learning + research experienced by normal students in the four years of undergraduate courses not only has solid subject knowledge and skills, but also has a solid teacher , Educational feelings and professional ethics for learning, with the interest and ability of lifelong learning.
At present, some normal colleges and universities have explored the 4+2 training model for undergraduates and masters, and the learning channels for in-service teachers to study for masters of education and doctoral degrees in education. All of these have established a continuous growth for undergraduate normal students’ initiative and consciousness in pursuing excellence. Platform, you can continue to work hard to improve the level of academic qualifications.
It can be said that love of education, diligent study, and good reflection are the professional potential and characteristics accumulated by many undergraduate teachers through undergraduate education, and it is also the education professional training that non-teacher majors lack.
In terms of the high-quality development trend of basic education, the adjustment of population policy has brought about the possibility of increasing the scale of school-age children, the richness and diversity of school curricula, the common foundation and individual needs of students' growth, and the technological age to instigate changes in learning methods And so on, will trigger a variety of demand for teacher recruitment.
This also makes the career planning of undergraduate normal students an important topic. It is necessary to plan for the four-year undergraduate study and growth, as well as to plan for employment and further studies after graduation.
Based on development, serving the society, and precise positioning, undergraduate normal students will become the new force of the elementary and middle school teachers by enhancing their professional accumulation and deepening their characteristics.
Analytical thinking
The improvement of academic level and practical ability is very important
Professor Li Wen, Director and Professor of the Scientific Research Department of Beijing Institute of Education
Should the recruitment of primary and secondary school teachers pursue high academic qualifications?
To answer this question, we must first understand two parts: one is the level of education of teachers in Beijing's primary and secondary schools, and the other is the significance of the level of education to the professional development of primary and secondary school teachers.
From a national point of view, Beijing’s primary and secondary school teachers do have the highest educational level, but in the world, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the overall educational level of Beijing’s primary and secondary school teachers.
On the one hand, Beijing’s primary and secondary school teachers’ educational level and rate of increase have always been at the leading level in the country.
From 2015 to 2019, the proportion of teachers with postgraduate education in primary schools in Beijing increased from 4.92% to 9.46%, the proportion of teachers with postgraduate education in junior high schools rose from 14.13% to 21.96%, and the proportion of teachers with postgraduate education in high school rose from 23.52% It is 32.42%, and the proportion of teachers in the three stages of primary school, junior high school, and high school ranks first in the country.
On the other hand, from a global perspective, the proportion of masters in the teaching staff of developed countries far exceeds that of Beijing.
The World Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) TALIS 2018 survey results show that in OECD countries and economies, in terms of junior high school teachers participating in the survey, an average of 44% of teachers have a master's degree.
The number of teachers who graduated from postgraduates among junior high school teachers in Beijing is 8,138, which is lower than the OECD average.
Does the level of education have any significance for the professional development of primary and secondary school teachers?
Teacher professional development mainly includes subject professionalism and education professionalism.
Subject professionalism mainly reflects the richness of teachers' knowledge accumulation in specific subject areas, and mainly depends on and formed in the pre-service teacher training stage, that is, the university education stage.
To a large extent, the level of academic qualifications is directly related to the professionalism of the subject.
On the whole, with the improvement of academic level, the professionalism of teachers also increases.
Therefore, it is of great significance to improve the educational level of teachers in primary and secondary schools.
Educational professionalism is mainly reflected in the comprehensive ability and practical experience of teachers to control the teaching work, and mainly depends on and formed in the post-service teacher development stage, that is, the teaching practice of primary and secondary schools.
After embarking on teaching positions, elementary and middle school teachers continue to increase their teaching experience and experience in the exploration of teaching practice, and continue to increase their comprehensive teaching capabilities.
Based on this, with the growth of teaching age, the educational professionalism of primary and secondary school teachers will continue to improve.
In the new era of deepening and comprehensive reform of basic education, to promote the professional development of teachers, it is necessary to organically combine the improvement of teachers' academic qualifications and the improvement of teachers' comprehensive teaching ability with practical experience, and the organic combination of pre-service teacher training and post-service development education. .
Further reading
Teachers from some teaching and training institutions still have gaps in entering primary and secondary schools
Principal of Fengtai No. 2 Middle School He Shiming
After the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, some education and training institutions closed down or reduced their scale, and some teachers of training institutions faced re-employment.
In September of this year, according to the arrangement of the District Education Commission, our school recruited teachers openly for teaching and training institutions and other social personnel. Unfortunately, the teachers from the teaching and training institutions who came to apply for the application were far from the requirements of our school and did not meet our expectations.
Judging from the recruitment situation, many teachers in education and training institutions have strong language skills and lively classrooms, especially since they have more in-depth research on the high school and college entrance examinations, have clear topics, and often have a strong sense of service. Affinity.
However, compared with professional teachers in public schools, teachers in education and training institutions tend to take exams and are more eager for quick success. Actual teaching is far from the public welfare of education, and they pay less attention to the cultivation of students' core literacy.
A teacher from a teaching and training organization applied for the position of a political teacher in our school, and the basic conditions were met, and he entered the interview, assessment and trial lectures.
Regrettably, he had a problem during the trial lecture. The judges composed of school politics teachers heard the trial lecture and believed that the teacher’s teaching was subject to professional errors, and some knowledge points were incorrectly explained, and the basic concepts The understanding was also rather vague, and eventually failed the assessment.
In fact, we very much hope that outstanding teachers from teaching and training institutions will join our team and bring a fresh air to traditional public school teaching methods.
According to relevant regulations and arrangements, our school recruits teachers openly from the society all year round.
Applicants must have the following conditions: permanent residence in Beijing, personnel and administrative relations and files in Beijing; have a teacher qualification certificate that matches the level and requirements of the recruitment position; the major they learn meets the professional requirements of the recruitment position, or the teacher qualification certificate The teaching subject of the post is the same as that of the post; it meets the age requirements of the post, and usually openly recruits teachers under 35 years of age.
Teachers from qualified educational and training institutions are welcome to come and apply.