The Basic Education Reform:Analysis of the Curricular

Gong Mengwei Huainan Normal college

Abstract:The localization of the curricular theory in basic education reform shows subjective spirits,theoretical self-consciousness and practical characters.At the same time,it also embodies the localized curricular culture,curricular spirits and curricular psychology.In the practicing process,the localization of the curricular theory needs to enlarge the curricular corresponding points,develop new growing points,become localized,and form localized curricular system structure,speech system,explaining methods and research paradigm,and it gets the characteristics,spirit,verve and context localized curricular theory create and grow locally.Currently,the study of the meaning and standards of the localization of the curricular theory and the approaches and methods of the localization constructing have significant theoretical and practical values,for it enlightens the ideology construct of curricular localization,helps to foster the cultural self-conscious spirit,and seeks the cause of education transformation.

Key words:basic educational,curricular theory,localization

Authors:Gong Meng-wei,an associate of Huainan Normal College,doctoral student of the theory of curriculum and instruction,College of Education,Shanxi Normal University;Chen Xiao-duan,a professor of curriculum and instruction,College of Education,Shanxi Normal University

What's the theoretical basis of the curricular theory in basic education reform? What's the connotation of localization of the curricular theory? And in what criterion to make it balanced? Which approach and way can construct the localization of the curricular theory? Are there any questions existing and how to solve these “puzzles” in the constructing process? These issues cannot be avoided.It does not refer to the tradition and practice of the curricular theory in basic education in our country,but implicate the value tendency,content method,evaluative standard,and the choice and construction of the curricular theoretical system as well.Meanwhile,it does contain conversation and introspection,the communicative,corresponding and growing points of the curricular theory.The last relates to the culture collision,borrowing,ferment ,digesting and creation between“ Parental Culture” in the localization of the curricular theory and the “Others” about the peoples in other nations.It is necessary to make research that is to protect our national culture and attach importance to the localization of the curricular and teaching reform,develop and inherit the Chinese cultural tradition in order to denote our nationalization in the view of globalization;at the same time,walk along the reforming way with Chinese distinction,spirit and momentum from the practice of the basic educational curricular in contemporary Chinese.

Ⅰ Connotative analysis of the localization about the curricular theory of the basic education

One of the arguments of the new round about basic education reform is about the localization of the curricular.To clarify and make it develop along the healthy way,the necessary is to establish the shared discourse system of the localization of the curricular theory.On the same layer of study,adopting the curricular relative accordance makes research about the paradigm connotation and its localized standard.Localization can be defined as the root depends on the native land.Localization refers to the Other theory of the alien land,race ,qualification to meet its needs while forming the derivative process in combination with the transformed localization theory and practice after its machination by using discipline,formant,digesting,operation and reform,the foreign theories can be fluently imported and borrowed.This holds the characteristics of subject,modernization,region,selection,practice ,cultural consciousness and the transformation.

The connotation of the localization of the curricular theory is rooted at the native land and the attitude and value of the worldwide to inherit the native traditional curricular theory.At the same time,it transplants, borrows and transforms the foreign advanced curricular theory and practical experience to mix up the natives and the foreign successful research models in order to transform the Others',which can suit the native curricular practice.In the practicing process the localization of the curricular theory needs to enlarge the curricular corresponding points,develop new growing points,become localized,and form localized curricular system structure,speech system,explaining methods and research paradigm.It is the collision and fermenting process between the foreign curricular culture and the native,and it is also the process of the curricular development in which the native and the foreign curricular theory alter their primary forms to adapt to the new social reform.The localization of the curricular theory is the localization transformed into the non-localization process,and the dynamic growing process of the borrowing and inheritance.It includes both the inheritance and the borrowing of the localization.Its dynamic reasons are the developing predicament of the localization curricular practice and its handling measures and surmounting.There are three conditions:the superiority of Others theory and the similarity of the culture background,the selection and reform of the curricular theory and the connection and digesting of the excellent traditional one,the accordance of the curricular theory thinking paradigm.Its aim is to import and transform the foreign advanced curricular theory and constructs the native in order to solve the problems of the localized curricular practice.In other way,it can also changes the indisposed phenomenon of the curricular theory in the borrowing process and makes the keys of the technical ration.Efficiency control in the curricular theory and practice turn to the curricular comprehension and liberation.Practice and creation.And it shows subjective spirit,cultural self-consciousness and practical character;really embodies its base of localization,gradually sets up its explaining structure and theoretical system,finally starts a new term boundary of the initialism and originality,all of which make the localized experiences get the wisdom distillation on knowledge in practice and theory.As a matter of fact,this does enrich the human's curricular theory and practice in light of the localized historic experience and rational wisdom.

Ⅱ Referent Standards of Localization about the Basic Educational Theory Curricular

The standards of the localization about the basic educational theory curricular are the basic norms and principles that balance if the curricular theory becomes localized and its localizing degree.They mainly include the subjective self-consciousness of the curricular theory,the formation of the new theoretical growing point and construct the new curricular theoretical system,speech genealogy and illustrating system.

1.Localization of the Curricular Theory Embodying the Subjective Theory Intuition

On account that the localization of the curricular theory holds the subjective spirit,theoretical self-consciousness and practical characters,hence with the evolution of the politics and education democracy,it is gradually forming “ subjective characters of the reform”.From the theoretical spontaneity to the subjective theoretical consciousness in connection with the curricular practice,it purpose is to solve the local curricular problems and embodies the local curricular culture,spirit and psychology.The subjective theoretical consciousness in the localization of the curricular theory is not the simple transplanting,borrowing,but the Others' curricular theories putted onto the backgrounds of the broad society,politics,culture,economy and race to understand and to find the curricular significance of the individual deep mental world and life experience.

It is both the initiative selection,sublating,reform and creation for the foreign curricular theories and the persistently pursuing and strongly defending for the excellent native traditional curricular theories and the foreign curricular cultures.We will never take in Others' spiritual connotation and cultural detailed content if we lose this standard.Furthermore,if we suffer loss of the ability of discrimination and sublation,we will be lack of the profound criticism,understanding and mulling-over consciousness,which will be able to cause blindly-submission,ossifying and standing-still and may not strongly show the subjective theoretic self-consciousness of the curricular localization.Only following the standard of the subjective theoretic self-consciousness,the curricular localization will be solid and productively develop,and then will be mingled and promoted within the time and space.Meanwhile,it can find home in the local curricular practice depending on the strong subjective self-consciousness to digest the foreign theories,making it become localized in order to really construct our theory.

2.Forming the New Growing Point of the Localization of the Curricular Theory

The localization of the curricular theory aims to find the corresponding,growing and creative point within the virtuous interactive tension structure between the localization and popularization and the globalization and localization.Locally-growing is the self-developing process in which the intra-culture originates from the local community.The process of the localization is not only the one to absorb the western curricular theories,but also the growing one close to the local curricular need.Although the localization of the curricular theory does have the functions of reforming and sublation the others and itself,it cannot separate its historical inheritance from the practical experience accumulation.At the same time,it is also an original process on the basis of the local curricular practice.Its transformation and origination both cannot lose contact with the formation of the new growing points in the developing process of the localization of the curricular theory.Hence,the formation of the new theoretical growing points becomes an important standard to balance if our country's basic educational reforming curricular theories become localized.Its growing points lie in the connection of the curricular theory and practice,and then cracks,breakings and contradictions are presented constantly.At this moment,the foreign advanced curricular theories are timely interposed to diminish the contradictions and close the crack,which has effectively transformed the theories into guarding practice.The formational symbol of the growing point is the mutual corresponding between the local and the foreign theories in the course of the localization of the curricular theories.Under the basis of the social need,cultural background and historical tradition connected with the curricular practical experience,the “root strongly expanding and developing stem” curricular theory has been formed.The corresponding of the native and foreign curricular theories and the locally-transformation is like potatoes with wholly-growing tender sprouts,in which each embryo is a new growing point in the local cultural soil.If the sunshine,water and air of the local culture is fully supplied,these embryos will be able to develop and strengthen so that the surviving space of the localization of the curricular theories can be expanded and the system of the curricular theories can be established.The localization of the curricular theories boil down to a kind of cultural localization,any culture development needs its own “parent” and the “soil” suitable for its growing as its “gene”.The communication of the foreign cultures must depend on the cultural “parent” and the “soil”and then “the growing points”can be found.Finally the productive achievements can be accepted and become the new nutrition and organic constituent of the local culture.Therefore,it is not only the necessary choice to create the new theoretical growing points but also one of the symbols in the process of the localization of the curricular theories.

3.Constructing the New Theoretical System,Speech Genealogy and Illustrating System for the Localization of the Curricular Theories

Nowadays,it is very serious for the brief and superficial transplanting phenomena in the process of our nation's curricular theories localized.Because of lacking of the local nurturing,it often simply applies mechanically the perfect curricular theories and reforming policies,experiences and measures under the western cultural background while neglecting the popularity and complexity that restrict the social and practical factors of the local curricular development.For lacking of the explicit systematic theory-constructed consciousness and uniform constructing connotation,the dominating speech of the western curricular theories expels the development of the local curriculum and diminishes its traditional logic,which makes it suffer loss of ethics,inheritance,history and regional features,the result is that it is fringed by the western curricular theories and makes the foreign curricular theories localized become difficult.Hence,the localization of the curricular theories must depend on the local practice,learning from others to improve ourselves and abandoning the wrongdoings of either “Westernization” or “Orientation” to construct the new theoretical system,speech genealogy and illustrating system.It is the basic symbol of the foreign curricular theory localized.Through acceptance,reform and transformation to constructing the new theoretical system、speech genealogy and illustrating framework,the aim is to form the locally-characteristic curricular theoretical system in order to stride across the western theoretical predicament and make it be suitable for the curricular culturally-spirited consciousness of the local curricular practice.Under the current local curriculum establishing our own curricular theoretical identity,it can really come to realize the localization when we set up our own newly-localized curricular theoretical system by using our own speech genealogy and illustrating system.

Ⅲ Approaches and Methods of the Localization of the Basic Curricular Theory

The localization of the curricular theories should carefully deal with the relationships among tradition and reality,the local and the foreign,theory and practice and sublation and creation.It should root the local curricular practical experience by adopting the methods of the ancient for current use and the foreign for our use.In the oriental-western curricular theoretical corresponding point in light of the instructive connotation “ Chinese tradition learning is for behavior while Western learning is for use”,so the “spirit” and the “skeleton” of the Chinese tradition learning should draw marrow from the Western learning,which makes the local and the foreign curricular theories interdependent and produce mutually-complement effect,and then gradually being mingled and transformed into the distinctive local curricular theoretical system.Practically speaking,there are three localized approaches.

1.Inheriting tradition and the ancient used for the current

The localization of the curricular theories was given birth in the human educational history,which has the popularized discipline to some extent.Therefore,we should consider the constantly-developing social train of thought about its educational history whether the ancient and current or the home and abroad.Meanwhile,we should make deep research about its carried culture source,which can draw marrow from the traditional theories and practical experience in its process.By the methods of the ancient enlightening the current and connecting the local curricular practice,we can find its new spatial sense in modern time.On the contrary,the ancient classic curricular theories do lie in the localization,and we take no notice or neglect its value and function.However,it is certain that it can develop its function spontaneously.So it is impractical to overturn or separate tradition in the process of the basic educational reform.Its disadvantage is that it cuts off the organic connection of the modern curricular theories and the traditional with purpose.Through the current denying the ancient,the Great Revival of Chinese Nation cannot be really realized.Hence,we should put basis on the modern curricular practice and inherit the tradition,by adopting the approach of the ancient used for current to establish the localization of the curricular theoretical system.

2.Enlarging Horizon to the World,the Foreign for Our Use

With the development of the globalization,the western advanced curricular theories and educational connotation have been streaming into our country.Some scholars have worries that the distinctive Chinese curricular reform is acted as the western educational connotative “experimental field” and the “the western curricular reforming hotchpotch”,which makes us fell the intention of culture colony.We don't have to deny that it dose exist the westernization to some degree in the process of the localization of the curricular theories.Under this condition,we neglect the foreign curricular theoretical background and cultural tradition,thus the introduced curricular theories and the local practices become the never-intersecting parallel line and so it is hard to root and develop.However,we should depend on our own practices and enlarge our horizon to the world by using the principles of the foreign for our use and “Chinese tradition learning is for behavior while Western learning is for use” to borrow the foreign advanced curricular theories.It is not denied that some plagiarism does exist,but we should develop and make progress.The more we shouldn't worry is the colonization of our curricular theories.With the development of transportation and information,it is a must trend of the globalization in the fields of social politics,economy,culture and education as well.It is unrealistic and foolish to follow subjectively the tradition with the purpose of extreme nationalism.Actually,it is hard to achieve the goal of culture colonization.It is a fact that the local culture is a big dyejigger;the invasion of the foreign cultures is often transformed and then suitable to the local growing.For example,the Buddha came from India and develops in China through mixing-up and transformation,and then Chansect is formed.For curricular theory belongs to a kind of cultural formation,it naturally follows the discipline and tradition of the cultural localization.It is not necessary to be extremely nervous and suspicious when new refer to the western curricular theories.If we correctly deal with the relationship between the localization of the curricular theories and the western traditional curriculum,we will be able to settle down the inappropriateness of the curriculum through scientifically analyzing and carefully selecting the foreign curricular theories.Meanwhile,it can commend consciousness of the subjective curricular culture,opening and systematic structure,vivid curricular cultural life and character so that mansion of the localization of the curricular theories can be established.

3.Rooting Practice,Locally-Constructing

Practice is the only standard to test theory.The localization of the curricular theories should depend on the native curricular practice to examine its problem source,and then find its logical premises and available measures.Under this condition,the conclusion about the local curricular practice is made.According to the need of the localization of the curricular theories,focusing on the practice and broadly selecting the foreign advanced curricular theories,devoting to educating the practical spirit,consciousness and ability,the locally-constructed curricular theories can be established;at the same time,it can settle the native curricular problems and avoid its alienation.The locally-constructing process should be made clear the interdependent constructing background of the thoroughly-understanding localization and internationalization,the purpose of the locally-constructing curricular practical problem,character,research method,content,structure,formation,organizing and evaluative system.Efforts should be made to establish the opening,derivative,locally-distinctive and multi-leveled curricular theoretical system,which will make the curricular system with the function of guidance,norms and advance realize,perfect and gradually promote.We should overcome the “pendulum phenomenon” which tends either to the error of dissociating practice or sticking to his own in the localization of curricular theory,then make it keep balance and harmony and enhance the healthy development of the basic educational curricular reforming.

Firstly,having crystallized the basics of localization of foreign curricular theories,we must carefully design a feasible methodology.To solve the long suspended problems existing in the process of the localization of western curricular theories,we should follow the principles of possessing as much of them as possible,and rationally selecting the appropriate ones from them.Towards the issue of how to tackle with the heritages of Chinese and western cultures,Mr.Luxun,a famous Chinese writer,has such attitude,“ possess and select reasonably”.That is,don't throw shark fin away to show “the citizenlization”,instead,eat it just like carrot,and cabbage as far as it is nutritious and do not use it to feast honorable guests;in sight of opium,instead of publicly throwing it into toilet to show your thorough revolutionary,bring it to pharmacy's to cure patients.Since the revolution and open reform of china,all kinds of foreign curricular theories have surged into the country,leading to the climax of revolution in curricular theory and its practice.With the essence coexisting with dross,opportunity with challenges,it's impossible to refuse all the foreign theories or tell right from wrong immediately.All of these require us to know clearly the social and cultural background where the foreign theories come into being,the construction of their theory system,and their experiences of failure and success,and then integrate our traditional experiences in curricular theory into foreign ones,select reasonably among them and foster the development of their localization.

Secondly,careful transplanting and reference are needed.The localization of curricular theories requires open insight,and experience in localization to transplant and take as reference to foreign curricular theories,which is a conscious process of introducing foreign theories inside,and which attaches importance to similarities between foreign theories and our own,and reference of the way of thinking and the spirit in foreign theories to identify the current problems of China's curricular revolution.The localization requests us to investigate on our own,practice on our own and participate by ourselves in the revolution.Transplanting and using foreign theory for reference,as a way to refresh our curricular theory,is intended to solve our problems in our curricular construction,in addition to testify foreign theories,we not only transplant and take as reference the content of foreign theories,to solve our own problems,but also think about the method of transplanting and reference.We should not follow their methods mechanically under their theory frame,to conclude our problem in education and to reach a false conclusion.

Finally,dialogues,transformation and construction should be stressed.the confrontation of foreign curricular theory and Chinese theories will result in their dialogues and communication.Dialogues and communication can make the two find their similarities and differences,advantages and disadvantages.Dialogue can encourage them to explore,to reflect,and to criticize their own systems so that improvements can be made in their own systems.In transformation,we should not protect our own system due to national affection,nor shall we resist the localization of foreign theories.Localization is the integration of foreign theories into our own,intended to solve our own problems existing in our own curricular system.The success of transformation not only lies in the adaptation of foreign theories but also in the value we hold,and in the attitudes toward foreign theories as well as how the transformation is managed.At the same time,it is necessary to be aware of the fact that not all the curricular theory can be transformed.Some foreign curricular theory can not be effeciently transformed to guide practice due to the absence of the practical social background and the restriction on the reality.Therefore,transformation should be made according to the practical demand,which means developing the positive and discarding the negative,on the ground of the careful study and creativeness.Constructing the localized curricular theory is a process of creating on the base of transformation,in which,on the one hand,the foreign curricular theory is internalized into a part of the localized curricular theoretical system that is to be enriched and extended while a new curricular theory will appear to step with the local condition and solve the local curricilar problem;on the other hand,though the fundamental change does not take place in the process,the essence of the foreign curricular theory influences the local curricular in the aspects of the new thoughts,forms,methods and contents that form the system,paradigm,the theoretical system and the framework.The local feature,the local spirits and the local speech right contribute to the creation and growth of the localized curricular theory.

Nowadays,the reform on the curricular theory of the basic education is going smoothly.Careful study on the contents,standard and the approach to the localization of the curricular theory is essential for constructing the localized curricular theory,cultivating the cultural self-conscious spirit of the local curricular theory and seeking the goal of the educational reform,which will encourage us to think more and create a stage for performing it.