Adapt measures to local conditions to make science education in township schools more vivid
Here comes the "mobile science class".
Not long ago, when the students of the Central Primary School in Zanggang Township, Tanghe County, Nanyang City, Henan Province, were dancing exercises, a bus full of science props stopped at the side of the playground. As soon as the recess ended, the bus was surrounded by students who came to see the excitement.
The science bus began to "do the whole thing": 4 red robots danced in the center of the field, and their movements were uniform. One of the robots accidentally falls, and the young audience laughs.
The task of this car is not just for the children to watch the performance, but also for the Ministry of Education's Publicity and Education Center, the China Science and Technology Museum, and the Douyin platform to jointly bring a mobile science class, trying to sow the seeds of love for science.
In May 2023, the Ministry of Education and 18 other departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Strengthening Science Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in the New Era" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), focusing on the integration of science education for young people, comprehensively improving the scientific literacy of young people, and promoting the deep integration of education, science and technology and talent development.
As the chairman of the China Youth Science and Technology Educators Association, Wu Xiangping, an astrophysicist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been at the forefront of science popularization and science education among young people. His footprints gradually penetrated into the remote Midwest.
When Wu Xiangping gave the same popular science report to children in urban and rural areas, the enthusiasm of urban and rural children to ask questions was the same, and they were both "very active, very active, and there was no difference."
He couldn't help but sigh that although the teaching resources in the city and the countryside are different, the children's curiosity is the same. He hopes that resources for science education will be more "skewed towards remote areas".
Compared with urban schools, rural schools have relatively scarce science education resources, weak teachers, insufficient attention, relatively outdated teaching methods, and low student participation. To this end, in February this year, the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Education, the China Science and Technology Museum, and the Douyin platform joined hands to combine high-quality resources such as scientists, science popularizers, and Douyin "cloud courseware" with the modern science and technology museum system and popular science resources, and went deep into the grassroots and towns to bring mobile science classes to rural youth. Up to now, the relevant team has implemented mobile science courses in 18 township primary and secondary schools in three provinces: Guangxi, Henan and Gansu.
How to make up for the lack of science education resources in rural areas and stimulate the interest and enthusiasm of rural youth in science? With these questions, not long ago, a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network followed the Henan tour of mobile science classes and visited rural schools in many counties in Henan.
A "water rocket" made of a drink bottle is launched, an "air motor" made of a straw is used to rotate rapidly, and a "paper airplane" made of a piece of paper is freely retracted in the classroom...... Zhang Jiantao, a science teacher at the No. 1 Primary School in Zhangguangmiao Town, Gushi County, Henan Province, made science props out of "waste" in the eyes of others. In his opinion, these "waste products" are the material for students to do science experiments. "Scientific experiments should not only be high-minded, but there are also many scientific truths in the bottles and cans." Zhang Jiantao said.
Ma Heng, a professor at Henan Normal University who retired last year, found that in many rural schools, general science classes are taught by class teachers or other subject teachers, and "full-time science teachers like Ms. Zhang are very rare."
Before becoming a full-time science teacher, Zhang Jiantao was a math teacher. In order to prevent some children from "rote memorization" and "mechanical brushing", he will take out a math class every week to lead students to "go to the laboratory to play".
The first science class left a deep impression on Zhang Jiantao. The theme of that class was "The Formation of the Wind", Zhang Jiantao lit the candle, and the wind wheel above the candle began to turn. The desks in the classroom are hexagonal, and not every student's seat is facing the lab site. During the demonstration, Zhang Jiantao found that some children would stick out their heads and look sideways, and some children would applaud with smiles.
"Their body movements tell me that they love science experiments." As Zhang Jiantao's science experiment classes became more and more, the existing equipment in the laboratory could no longer meet the requirements, so he took the students to make experimental props by themselves and "turn waste into treasure" of domestic garbage.
"The students in my class never lose their straws after drinking yogurt, they will stuff them in their pockets and keep them for their own experiments." Zhang Jiantao said with a smile that in the process, the changes in the child made him feel gratified. "When I used to only teach mathematics, the children walked around me when they met, but after doing experiments together for a long time, the children took the initiative to greet me, and their concentration in class was stronger."
At the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Education announced the list of the first batch of science education experimental zones and experimental schools in primary and secondary schools. Wang Rui, principal of Henan Provincial Experimental Middle School, found that many schools are exploring and forming their own unique practices and experiences. He suggested that the university should adapt measures to local conditions, invite more scientists to the campus, hold science lecture halls, and participate in various activities organized by the society.
According to Yang Shuai, principal of the Central Primary School in Zanggang Township, Tanghe County, science education in rural schools can start from the actual situation in rural areas, so that students can start to understand crops and poultry. "We need to improve science lessons in rural areas." Yang Shuai said.
"In solving the problem of science classes in rural schools, it is important to adapt measures to local conditions." Dai Shuxi, a professor at the School of Physics and Electronics at Henan University, said. He believes that each school has its own geographical characteristics, and creating its own characteristics is an important part of the whole science education of rural schools.
Science education is inseparable from science teachers
There are more than 1,600 people in Sunshine Primary School in Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province, among which there are many left-behind children, and the basic conditions of the school are not satisfactory. Li Wenling, the principal of the school, said that there are more than 80 teachers in the school, and their scientific literacy needs to be improved; There are not many props and equipment for scientific experiments at the same time, and most of them are aging.
"Under such conditions, how do you do a good science lesson?" This question once plagued Li Wenling.
In the process of actively trying to solve the problem, Sunshine Primary School contacted Yue Yinchao, a doctor and associate researcher of condensed matter physics from the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and hired him as the vice president of science and technology of the school. "He's happy to be able to communicate with the kids, he's an educator."
In order to stimulate students' interest in science, Yue Yinchao will tell them interesting stories of scientists during class to arouse children's curiosity about science.
"We really don't have enough resources, so we use other ways to teach students a different kind of 'science lessons.'" Li Wenling said.
Facts have proved that science education is inseparable from a lively field of practice wherever it goes. Huang Xiao, Dean of the School of Education and Director of the Science Education Research Center of Zhejiang Normal University, found that the practical exploration of science education models in schools in every province and city in China is unique, and she believes that there are common problems in rural science education, among which the most important thing to pay attention to is the professionalism of science teachers.
In order to investigate the current situation of science teachers in primary schools in mainland China, the Science Teaching Committee of the Basic Education Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education organized a large-scale survey covering 31 provinces across the country in the second half of 2021, and collected 131134 valid questionnaires. The results show that the team structure of primary school science teachers in mainland China is dominated by part-time teachers and liberal arts backgrounds. Teachers' knowledge and ability are still lacking, and practical wisdom such as information technology application needs to be strengthened. Professional development needs to be strengthened, experimental resources are insufficient, and precision and professional training need to be increased.
The findings of Huang Xiao and his team are similar to those of the Science Teaching Committee of the Ministry of Education's Basic Education Teaching Steering Committee. From 2018 to 2023, Huang Xiao and his team have successively carried out research on the use of primary school science textbooks, including "professional training and training of primary school science teachers" and "development of diversified science teaching resources". The survey subjects included nearly 125,000 students, about 6,900 science teachers, about 2,800 principals and 500 teaching and research staff who had taken first-year science classes, and the research scope covered more than 10 provinces including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei, Fujian, Gansu, Guangxi, and Ningxia.
The research results of Huang Xiao's team show that from the perspective of the professionalism of science teachers, professional primary school science teachers need to be cultivated and trained urgently. According to the survey data, although most science teachers have received teacher education, they are mainly teachers with Chinese and mathematics backgrounds, and the proportion of teachers with science backgrounds is relatively low.
In addition, Huang Xiao and his team's research data show that although about 85% of schools distribute science activity manuals, only about 45% of students have used science material kits or laboratory equipment in class.
"The survey involved more than 100,000 data, and the imbalance in rural science education was very obvious." Huang Xiao believes that it is a matter of the essence of science to let rural children know what science is and shape the image of scientists in their hearts.
Huang Xiao pointed out that in the context of strengthening science education, the construction of a team of high-level science teachers is the key to improvement. "Teachers are the leaders of students and the promoters of development." Huang Xiao said that students' understanding of the nature of science is inseparable from science teachers' understanding of the nature of science and its transformation in classroom teaching.
"When training science teachers, schools should take root in the practice of science education, give full play to the leading force of educational research, and transform it into scientific research results based on practice, which is a very important aspect of telling the story of science education." Huang Xiao said.
The Future of Science Education is "Big Science Education"
Not long ago, the "Let's Talk About Science Education" activity sponsored by the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Education, co-organized by the Henan Provincial Department of Education, and undertaken by Henan Normal University, invited local education experts, principals of primary and secondary schools, and scientific and technological workers to focus on the current situation of local science education and discuss the future development direction of science education.
"At the end of the 70s of the 20th century, I still remember that the society was saying that the spring of science is coming." Wang Rui said. With the issuance of the "Opinions", he believes that another "spring" has arrived. "We should have a deeper understanding of what science education is in the new era."
Huang Xiao divides science education into two parts: from a narrow perspective, science education belongs to the science education mentioned in school education, including science in primary and secondary schools, physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, etc.; From a broad perspective, science education is an educational and teaching activity to improve the scientific literacy of the whole population, such as the various promotions of the Opinions and similar documents.
In Dai Shuxi's view, science education means a lifetime of companionship for children. "Science education is not only to let children know some knowledge points, knowledge is unlimited, but more importantly, let children cultivate the spirit of science in this process."
As a "famous teacher" from a rural primary school, Zhang Jiantao uses his own methods to help students open the door to science. For example, during the experiment, he will deliberately let the child "fail". For example, when making a water rocket, he deliberately put very little water, and the rocket did not fly as high as he imagined.
Through this way, Zhang Jiantao feels that the child's ability to observe and solve problems has been continuously enhanced. "Through this kind of exercise, they will not be afraid to face some difficult problems after entering middle school, and will take the initiative to find the reasons for failure and solutions."
"I want to say to the children who aspire to become science teachers like me: let's work together to pass on this scientific spirit." Zhang Jiantao encouraged the children, "If you always maintain your curiosity and love for science, learn science, use science, love science, and explore in practice, I believe you will succeed." ”
The importance of science education cannot be overstated. As one of the hottest topics in the current education field, science education is the focus of both basic and higher education workers. At the 61st Higher Education Expo held recently, an academic activity with the theme of "high-quality development of science education" was set up. Zhang Daliang, Vice President of the Chinese Association of Higher Education, said: "Science education is the cornerstone of improving the scientific quality of the whole people, building a strong country in education, and achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance. ”
Looking forward to the future of science education, many experts and scholars believe that "big science education" is its development direction.
"What is 'Big Science Education'? Primary and secondary schools, universities, scientific research institutes, families, society and other parties should participate in the formation of a normalized linkage mechanism. Dai Shuxi said.
Taking universities as an example, as the main force of scientific research, universities have very rich scientific resources. How to make university resources "fly into the homes of ordinary people"? Dai Shuxi, who is trying new media creation, hopes that more experts and scholars will get out of the ivory tower and devote themselves to popular science creation, so as to popularize scientific resources in a simpler form.
Qiu Limin, vice president of Zhejiang Normal University, introduced that Zhejiang Normal University has made long-term efforts in science education, actively served the development of science education and the reform of science classroom teaching in 26 counties in mountainous areas, and undertook high-end teacher training projects such as "academician teacher training" to promote the rational allocation of educational resources and promote the coordinated development of science education in primary and secondary schools.
Ren Haihong, deputy director of the China Science and Technology Museum, said that in recent years, the China Science and Technology Museum has scientifically planned and increased investment, continued to promote the construction of mobile science and technology facilities for the vast number of grassroots rural areas and remote areas, and brought high-quality science popularization resources to the vast counties and rural areas for free to make up for the shortage of science and education resources in these areas.
Huang Xiao has always believed that the future of science education in rural primary schools is inseparable from exploration and practice. In Huang Xiao's view, in the future of science education, it is necessary to focus on the transformation of teaching and learning methods, jump out of the traditional teaching mode of memorization, memorization and teaching, and make the existing forms and methods of science education more vivid.
Zhang Jiantao suggested increasing the frequency of scientific activities so that children can have more stages to show. At the same time, he is more eager to establish a linkage and sharing mechanism with other schools. "We all make progress together and promote the development of science education in rural areas.
Source: China Youth Daily