Hunan Daily all-media reporter Zhou Yangle
On May 31, General Secretary Xi Jinping earnestly sent a message to the students during his inspection tour of Beijing Yuying School, establishing the ambition of "scientific and technological innovation, strengthening the country with me" from an early age, bravely becoming a small scientist at the present and a big scientist in the future, and contributing to the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement in the mainland.
The times need innovation, and China's future innovation needs young people to carry it. In recent years, especially in the context of the "double reduction" of education, young people's enthusiasm for participating in scientific and technological innovation activities has become increasingly high. However, many people think that small inventions are "pediatrics" and must be "tall" to win the award. Such utilitarian psychology and behavior not only violate the original intention of carrying out scientific and technological innovation activities, but also distort the essence of scientific and technological innovation education.
So, what is the essence of science and technology education? How to cultivate children's scientific thinking, exploration of unknown interests and sense of innovation? Recently, the reporter interviewed several front-line teachers who have been deeply engaged in science and technology education for many years to hear what they have to say.
The core of science and technology education is to educate people, not "bluff"
Xiao Zongwen, a science teacher at Changxian Tianxin Experimental School, was interviewed by reporters with a "small nail rake".
It turned out that this is a 5th grade student of the school using the 3D printing knowledge learned in the "3:30 class" to design and produce the "invisible anti-theft window cleaner", which can clean the invisible anti-theft window (net) in a large range and wrapping. "This gizmo is an innovative work based on the cognitive level of elementary school students." Xiao Zongwen said, "As a teacher, it is necessary to integrate subject teaching with the cultivation of children's innovative ability. ”
"We mainly cultivate the observation ability and innovative awareness of primary school students, so that they can use the knowledge they have learned to solve real problems in life situations." Xiao Zongwen believes that doing a good job in scientific and technological innovation education in the "double reduction" of education is mainly to implant innovative genes and responsibility feelings for children, and lay the foundation for the country's cultivation of outstanding talents.
Where are the mice in the field distributed? What are the travel rules? Yang Fengyi, a student at Changsha County No. 1 Middle School, told reporters that he once went to a relative's house in the countryside and found rats in the field, so he began to think about whether modern information methods could be used to eliminate them. In half a year, he used the artificial intelligence and information technology he learned to integrate and innovate, and used thermal electric sensors, artificial intelligence image recognition technology, GPS three-dimensional coordinates, etc. to develop a "bionic flying robot for mapping rodent distribution maps in plant protection areas", which can provide accurate "combat maps" for farmland rodent extermination operations. Not long ago, the work won the first prize of the 44th Hunan Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition and was selected to participate in the national competition.
"We lead students to do science and technology innovation projects, which must be carried out in line with the laws of students' cognition, growth and teaching." Duan Xianqing, a science and technology tutor at the school, said, "Science and technology have no ceiling, and only by allowing students to gradually do what they 'reach' and be down-to-earth will students leave a good impression of scientific and technological innovation activities on the road to growth, so as to continuously improve their scientific and technological innovation interests." ”
"Innovation should be a process of interest-driven, allowing life to stretch and bloom." Tan Diji, president of the Primary and Secondary School Creative Education Branch of the China Invention Association, said, "When we engage in scientific and technological innovation education, we must not only reflect the content of scientific and technological innovation, but also reflect the content of education. The core of contemporary science and technology education is to cultivate a new generation with the spirit of scientists, rather than just making a few works to 'bluff people'. Winning awards is never the purpose of innovation, but to broaden students' minds and lives. Flowers and applause are great, but the substantial growth of students is even better! ”
Simplicity is the essence of invention, and progress is the only innovation
In an art class at the First Affiliated Primary School of Hunan First Normal College, student Zhang Peidi learned origami with his teacher. She folded out a triangular "thing" and came home and proudly told her mother: "This thing can be clipped to the corner of the book as a bookmark, and you can clip whichever page you see is on which page." Later, she designed the cartridge-type anti-loss bookmark - an isosceles triangular plastic jacket with a rubber band that not only has the bookmark function, but is not easy to lose, and also protects the corner.
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"What a great idea! This is the child's perspective, a method that only a child can think of! Tan Di said excitedly, "Why do you want to innovate? We must let children understand that innovation is not difficult, simplicity is the true meaning of invention, and innovation is the use of ingenuity to make life progress a little. ”
In Tan Diji's view, the innovation achievements of young people are mainly reflected in four aspects: simplifying complex problems, cleverizing simple problems, refinement of conventional problems, and intelligence of difficult problems.
Peng Shiwen, a famous teacher of innovative education at Changxian Middle School, agrees with this view. He once instructed the students of Liling No. 2 Middle School to use the principle of trompe l'oeil to draw three-dimensional speed bumps on the ground to guide passing drivers to consciously brake and slow down. "This work won the Soong Ching Ling Children's Invention Gold Award in one fell swoop, and its classic is that it solves old problems with a very simple new method." He said.
"Why do our schools always fail to cultivate outstanding scientific and technological innovation talents?" This is the famous "Qian Xuesen's question". Peng Shiwen said: "At present, young people generally lack the awareness of active thinking and innovation ability. A large number of question-brushing behaviors are easy for them to form a mind-set, knowing it but not knowing why, and they are not willing to experiment and slowly generate their own methods. He said that in the era of big data, information is flooded, some ready-made data is at hand, and students do not want to spend too much time and energy to delve into first-hand information.
"Science and technology education should not develop in the cracks of examination-oriented education." Peng Shiwen pointed out that it is necessary to put experimental research in a more important position, guide students to go to the first site of scientific research, improve their participation and research awareness, and constantly mobilize them to think, experiment, and find different paths and answers.
It is better to teach people to fish than to teach people to "fishing grounds" and do a good job of "scaffolding" for students
Air energy headset, hand-crank power remote control, traffic flow automatic control dual-mode traffic signal device... The reporter came to the "Future Scientist Activity Center" of Changsha Changxian Furong Middle School, which "collects" many imaginative works.
In May this year, the work invented by Chu Mingtao, a student of the school, "Electrician Climbing Cable Gravity Grip Assist", won the silver medal at the Paris International Exhibition of Inventions. He told reporters: "Under the guidance of the teacher, I used the bionic bird claw principle and the lever principle to design a gripping cable device 'shoe cover', which can facilitate the power workers to walk safely on the inclined cable and improve their work efficiency." ”
"The 'shoe cover' grips the cable, can the friction be greater?" "Different people walk on the cable, the soles of the feet step on the cable at different angles, can the 'shoe cover' change the grip direction accordingly?" Chen Shuizhang, director of the school's Science and Technology Innovation Characteristic Education Center, threw new questions at him, and Chu Mingtao later developed an upgraded version of "shoe covers" 2.0 along the lines of thought.
In the university's science and technology innovation laboratory, the reporter saw CNC lathes, laser cutting machines, 3D printers... Chu Mingtao said: "Here, we can turn the creative ideas in our minds into reality. ”
"It is better to teach people to fish than to teach people to fish, and it is better to teach people to be 'fishing grounds'". Chen Shuizhang explains, "The 'fishing ground' is the platform, and the teacher only acts as a 'staircase' and 'scaffolding', allowing students to climb up step by step, experience inquiry and exchange and cooperation, and cultivate the skills of 'fishing' in this 'fishing ground'." This kind of skill will accompany them throughout their lives, so that they can face various problems in the future, which is the meaning of science and technology education. ”