The aesthetic education high school entrance examination is really here!
Some time ago, many parents on social platforms reported that their children who were in junior high school were required by the school to check in every day and upload singing and dancing videos.
There are also junior high school students who complain that in addition to regular coursework, they also have to memorize art knowledge, "Who is the author of this painting, who sang that song, they are all about to become art students." ”
These are all due to the "aesthetic education into the high school entrance examination" policy that has been gradually implemented in the past two years.
In October 2020, the Office of the Central Committee of the People's Republic of China and the Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving the Work of Aesthetic Education in Schools in the New Era", proposing to "explore the inclusion of art subjects in the pilot reform of the high school entrance examination and include them in the scoring subjects of high school examination admissions".
As of June last year, eight provinces, including Jiangsu, Hunan, Yunnan, Henan, and Liaoning, had fully implemented the test, and five provinces had carried out pilot experiments in cities, counties, and districts, with test scores ranging from 10 to 40 points.
Parents have different views on this. Many parents are worried about increasing the burden on their children, dissipating their children's interest in art, and it is unfair to children who have no artistic talent.
Should I take the aesthetic education high school entrance examination?
Art also engages in "rote memorization"?
Mianyang is the first city in the country to implement the "aesthetic education into the high school entrance examination".
As early as 2020, music and art were included in the city's high school entrance examination subjects, with 10 points each, accounting for 2.2% of the total score of the high school entrance examination, and the question types were multiple choice questions and true or false questions. In March of that year, a total of more than 40,000 candidates took the art high school entrance examination, watching videos, texts, and listening to audio answers on the computer.
However, although the format and subjects of the exam have changed, most of the content of the exam still requires "rote memorization" of art knowledge. Something like:
Smart readers come and try it
Not only in Mianyang, but also from the art examination policies that have been announced in various places, it can also be seen that the basic knowledge of art accounts for a large proportion.
For example, at the end of 2023, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region requires music and art to account for 20 points each in the high school entrance examination, of which 5 points are scored for daily and 15 points are scored for the final examination of the third year of junior high school. In the final examination, basic theory accounts for 10 points, accounting for 66.6%.
This only tests the student's memory, which cannot reflect their artistic quality, but increases the burden of the examination, making the aesthetic education high school entrance examination tend to be exam-oriented and utilitarian. Liu Chang, a postdoctoral fellow at Northeast Normal University, and other three researchers, investigated the current situation of aesthetic education high school entrance examinations in 30 provinces across the country.
They also found that, although individual districts proposed, in addition to the basics, the artistic expression of students should also be examined. However, in practice, quantitative indicators are still examined. For example, when singing, you still look at the pitch, rhythm, speed, and lyrics, while the emotion, personality, and attitude are ignored.
In 2021, Wu Bin, former chairman of the Music Education Branch of the Chinese Society of Education and a music educator, saw during a survey in a province that in the music classroom, there was no imaginary sound of music, but every student was holding a thick review book and carrying music history and music theory.
Not only students, but also teachers are at a loss in the face of new exam requirements.
Guo Shengjian, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Music of Hunan Normal University, has been engaged in aesthetic education policy research, and has long participated in and drafted national aesthetic education and art education laws and regulations.
According to him, in the areas where the aesthetic education high school entrance examination is implemented, many teachers have complained to him that the examination questions are set unreasonably, that there are few classes on weekdays, and that they conduct surprise attacks before the examination, and that the score of art subjects is unreasonable.
What worries the teachers even more is that in the past, the students and teachers enjoyed the art class. Now the class is all about preparing for the exam, and I can't enjoy it.
"Students and art should be a two-way street, but if you only take classes for punching in and taking exams, it will make art classes boring and make students lose interest, which is by no means the result we want to see, nor is it the goal of art education. ”
Professor Guo Shengjian believes that true art is freedom, and letting students sing and dance for the sake of scores is not only a distortion of art, but also a "violence" against students.
"In fact, the real aesthetic is not for the purpose of learning knowledge and distinguishing the true from the false. Zhang Lu, deputy dean and associate professor of the School of Art and Media at Beijing Normal University, also admitted that judging whether to enter the aesthetic state and how to improve the aesthetic ability is a difficult process to quantify.
In this case, is it still necessary for aesthetic education to enter the high school entrance examination?
"Take the school instead of the student"
Aesthetic education, once linked to exams, becomes a joke. ”
Writer and well-known self-media blogger "Ge 13" focuses on parenting observation. Some time ago, the article she wrote criticizing the aesthetic education high school entrance examination caused a heated discussion. In her eyes, the feeling and thinking of beauty are graceful and intangible, and the ability and interest in appreciating beauty require subtle cultivation.
She believes that instead of letting children sit in front of the computer and wear headphones and "cry wolf" for vocal training, it is better to reduce the burden of exams and let them go out and go to nature, museums, and art galleries. In a relaxed state, learn to truly express, praise and think. "Relaxation is a very high-quality aesthetic education. ”
"Feeling beauty in life is of course good, but it is only a very ideal state, and not all children have this condition. Guo Shengjian, Guo Biheng, Zhang Lu and other scholars all said that the edification of art and the improvement of aesthetic literacy are far from enough to rely on spontaneous feelings, and must be achieved through systematic school aesthetic education.
The concept of aesthetic education in schools has been around for a long time. During the May Fourth period, Mr. Cai Yuanpei put forward the education policy of "simultaneous development of five educations", including "aesthetic education". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the education policy has always emphasized the all-round development of "morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor", but there has always been a phenomenon of "emphasizing intellectual education, ignoring moral education, and weak physical beauty".
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, school aesthetic education has gradually attracted attention and attention: the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to "improve the teaching of aesthetic education and improve students' aesthetic and humanistic qualities"; in 2015, the State Council Office issued the "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving School Aesthetic Education", and in 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping replied to the old professors of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, emphasizing the importance of school aesthetic education, and delivered an important speech on aesthetic education in September of the same year......
In Beijing, Shanghai, and other areas with developed educational resources, it is not difficult to implement aesthetic education in schools, but in the whole country, especially in the vast rural areas, aesthetic education has not yet been fully popularized: art is not taken seriously and is still a "minor subject"; there are not enough teachers, and other teachers often take over the role; the curriculum is single and the number is small; the teaching hardware and equipment are insufficient, and so on.
Therefore, the policy intent of "aesthetic education into the high school entrance examination" is also very clear - that is, to use the score baton to force schools, parents, and students across the country to attach importance to aesthetic education and implement aesthetic education policies.
"In a sense, it's about the school, not the students. Guo Shengjian explained that the purpose of the aesthetic education high school entrance examination at this stage is to urge schools around the country to open enough classes, teachers and activities, so that aesthetic education is oriented to every student, not just a few people in areas with developed educational resources.
"We admit that art has special features - emphasizing personal experience, perceptual understanding, emphasizing immersion and depth, but before we find a better way, the aesthetic education high school entrance examination is a new attempt. Associate Professor Zhang Lu said frankly.
How to take the test, what to test?
"It is said that 'aesthetic education is to let children love life, release their natural nature, and stimulate creativity', I would like to know, how can this be implemented in the exam?"
"Of course, artistic knowledge is important. A person who does not know music can enjoy music. But if there is basic knowledge and skills, it will definitely be better. Associate Professor Zhang Lu said that aesthetic education is a combination of sensibility and rationality, and pure sensibility cannot be blindly emphasized.
Of course, in addition to the basic knowledge of art with a reasonable proportion, Professor Guo Biheng pointed out that skills and appreciation are also essential.
Skills are not simply for students to sing and draw, but to learn to judge, such as the composition skills of paintings, the emotional style of songs, etc., and appreciation, is to learn to express and try to comment on literary and artistic works. "Just like the Chinese composition of the high school entrance examination and the college entrance examination, there are subjectivity and grading criteria. ”
In addition, Guo Shengjian and Zhang Lu also emphasized that aesthetic education does not apply to traditional paper-and-pencil exams, and should be combined with life scenes as much as possible to test students' ability to solve practical problems. ”
Of course, the most important thing to consider is fairness. Many people worry that children in economically backward areas with scarce educational resources will suffer. In this regard, Professor Guo Shengjian believes that "aesthetic education into the high school entrance examination" cannot be achieved overnight, and needs to be explored gradually.
"For example, try to further adapt measures to local conditions, organize unified examinations at the county level to narrow regional differences, temporarily not include the results of the high school entrance examination, and use the pass/pending pass level as a reference, which will not affect the promotion of higher education, and wait for the classes to be held before gradually entering the high school entrance examination, and so on. ”
On March 22, 2023, in Taihe County, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province, primary school students take interest music lessons in the field
Regarding the phenomenon of individual parents enrolling their children in art cram classes in order to improve their scores, the Ministry of Education has also repeatedly emphasized that "the high school entrance examination is only taught in classes and books, and it is of little use to apply for cram schools." ”
"Where it is easy in advance and then difficult, simple and then complex, the aesthetic education high school entrance examination has just started, and there will definitely be no fewer problems. We started with music and art, then moved on to calligraphy, drama, dance, etc., and explored for a long time and slowly accumulated experience. ”
But there is a consensus that exams are not the goal, the implementation of aesthetic education, to help children cultivate their temperament, and live a rich and comfortable life, is the most important.
After all, art cannot be more moving than human life itself.