Zheng Yufei Beijing Normal University
Abstract:The swing phenomenon of Kairov's Pedagogy in China made us think that why Kairov's Pedagogy had such dramatic treatment as a foreign educational theory.In the past 30 years,many achievements have accomplished about the history of Kairov's pedagogy from 1949 to 1957 in China.These research findings have summarized experience and lesson for Chinese education in many different angles,especially for the pedagogic theory construction.
Some researchers suggest that Kairov's pedagogy is lack of theory and like booklet.Some researches propose that Kairov's pedagogy is the production of guiding by Stalin's ideology and it isn't the true main stream of Soviet Union pedagogy.However,Kairov's pedagogy provides operation to teaching procedures,and no one could deny that it can improve the effectiveness of teaching.We should not just notice the driving force of ideology but neglect the theory's regularity.There are many questions and issues should be focused on spreading of Kairov's pedagogy from 1949 to 1957 in China.
1.Introduction
Kairov's pedagogy has experienced twist and turns in Chinese education areas in China.At the beginning of New China,in order to learn advanced education experience,we introduced the Soviet Union pedagogy,especially,in which Kairov's pedagogy was the main part.From 1949 to 1957,Kariov's pedagogy was spreaded widely in Chinese education.But in the education revolution from 1958 and the Cultural Revolution from 1966,Kairov's pedagogy was criticized completely.At the dawn of the 21st century,with the new curriculum reform advanced,some experts suggested that Kariov's pedagogy was a ghost and flickering and a new criticize movement to Kariov's pedagogy was raised again.
The new curriculum reform is a Copernican Revolution in education which is directed by western advanced education ideas.Like fifties years ago,today a new movement that aims at learning advanced foreign education ideas across China,however,the reference standard changes and the standard of selecting reference is altered,too.Why external ideas upper most the mainstream of education theory since the PRC established? Will the campaign encounter the same destiny as Kariov's pedagogy in China ?Many researches have made lots of researches on this issue since reform and open up to the outside world in 1978.These researches have summarized systematically the history of Kairov's pedagogy in China from1949 to 1957 and the effects on Chinese pedagogy.Nowadays carding the researches on Kairov's pedagogy at the dawn of new China since 1978 may improve the reflection on the learning from foreign educational ideas when assimilating the achievements of education civilizations the world over today.
2.Definition of the Concepts
Reviews on the results of researches since 1978,we can found that the issues mainly focuse on three concepts.Which different from each other in connotation,but related to each other in extension.
Soviet pedagogy mainly refers to the Soviet educators' viewpoint on education.Because of these theories be introduced widely in the initial of New China.It was at the same time when national people was learning Soviet advanced experience.Normally we call the pedagogy of Soviet educators be introduced at that time is the Soviet pedagogy.From 1949 to 1957,lots of publications about Soviet Pedagogy were translated and published,majorities of them was textbooks of pedagogy,for example,Ⅰ.A.Kairov's pedagogy,including two versions were published in 1948 and 1956;Н.Τ.Οгородникоа and П.Н.Шимъирев's pedagogy;Esipov and Goncharov's pedagogy;and Kariov,Goncharov,Esipov and Zankov's pedagogy etc.Learners' enthusiastic learning from Soviet advanced education experience brought about the overly high evaluation to Soviet pedagogy.Most of them suggested that Soviet pedagogy was the highest level in the history of educational science and was the truly maximum education science.“It is established on Maxim lien's philosophy and was the achievements of summarizing Soviet advanced experience of National development since Soviet Union established.Soviet pedagogy is the truly education science,which is rich in content and logical and very militancy ”.
Normally,Kairov's pedagogy means the textbook named pedagogy which editor is Kairov who organized several Soviet educators to write the textbook.In China,generally speaking,Kairov's pedagogy means the system and ideas in this textbook.When we introduced educational theory from Soviet Union,Kairov's pedagogy have made a big different influence on Chinese educators,thus it is the synonym of the Soviet pedagogy.At the beginning of taking Soviet's educational experience,the passion of learning Kariov's pedagogy was very high in education,and educators chased for it.However,during the education revolution and the Cultural Revolution,Kairov's pedagogy became the target of public attack.When learning from or criticizing Kairov's pedagogy,people didn't differentiate the advanced ideas and backwards of this pedagogy,but studied without critical or deny thoroughly.Even today,when mentioned Kairov's pedagogy,people don't acquainted with the characteristic advanced and reasonable of it,see it as the outdated pedagogy yet.
Kairov's teaching and learning theory refers to the theory of teaching and learning in the Kairov's textbook.This parts wasn't wrote by Kariov himself(some written by Esipov and Скаткин,M.H.etc.),but accredited by Kairov.It reflected his guiding ideas about teaching,that is,to form students' communist world outlook by mastering the scientific knowledge systematically. In the theory of Kariov's pedagogy,the theory of teaching and learning was formed by summarizing lots of teachers' practical experience,and partly inherited Comenius,Herbart,Yшинский,К.Д.and other educators traditional education theory.The teaching theory is the essence of Kairov's pedagogy,and the main characteristic is teacher-centered,textbook-centered,class teaching-centered,four stages,five linking teaching methods.The theory of teaching and learning of Kairov is part of traditional teaching and learning theory,and is not equal with the traditional.
3.The Topics of Researches
The main topic of researches about Kairov's pedagogy in China from 1949 to 1957 mainly focused on historical role,the history of communication,influence on Chinese education,etc.Such issues involved primary fields and fully reflected the history of this period.
3.1 The Formation Backgrounds of Kairov's Pedagogy
The formation backgrounds of Kairov's pedagogy,contributions and other aspects are the important issues which many researchers followed closely.They suggest that Kariov's pedagogy is the products of Soviet Union corrected leftism fault by criticizing Dewey's pragmatism education ideas.And they suggest that school education should emphasize the systematicness of scientific knowledge and raise the quality of education.This textbook is the first academic monograph that tried to resolve rules of socialism education in the perspective of Marxism principles.Some ideas reflect the regularity of education,such as,the viewpoint of bringing up builders of all-round development,the viewpoint of strengthening basic knowledge and basic skills training,emphasizing on classroom teaching,and the role of teacher-directed.These standpoints are propitious to train construction personals with a solid basic knowledge and improve the quality of education.Wang Cesan,who is a well-known educationalist in China,suggests in his new work that Kariov's pedagogy reflects the basic requirements of modern school education and provides the operational norms of educational practice,and it is a important historical result in the development of modern education.
3.2 Critical Analysis of Kairov's Pedagogy
Some researchers noted the fact that the academic discussion and criticism on Kairov's pedagogy in Soviet Union from 1948 to 1950 was translated to domestic academic area but it did not cause concern for Chinese educators.Since 1978,educational academic researchers began to re-assesse Kariov's pedagogy and its impact on Chinese education,many researchers analysised its scientificalness rationally and critically.Among of them,Chen Guisheng,who is a well-known scholar in China,made a conclusion that Kairov's pedagogy theory is poor and be lack of scientific and theoretical,after he studying the four parts of textbook edited by Kariov.Recently,a newly research result concluded that Kairov's pedagogy abandoned the traditional ideology of humanism education in Soviet Union,it is a product of a special era of the Soviet Union in this research.The author studied Kairov and his pedagogy development in the Soviet Union from 1930s to 1980s,and argued that Kairov's pedagogy was full of the atmosphere of Stalin's ideology and controlled by Stalin's ideology.
The theoretical system of teaching and learning is the focal point and essence of the theory of Kairov's pedagogy.The majority of researches about Kairov's pedagogy focus on the theory of teaching and learning.The methodology,the objects and method of study,the teaching principles,the teaching content,the teaching form,the teaching method,the teaching phrase,and the relationship of teacher-student were discussed and analysized.Researchers distinguished advantages and disadvantages of Kairov's theory about teaching and learning.Some suggest that the fatal drawback of Kairov's theory is over-emphasizing on the education functions and neglecting the development of the functions of teaching.Therefore,how to absorb the advantage factors of Kairov's theory of teaching and learning critically is a gross research project.
3.3 The History of Kairov's Pedagogy in China(1949～1957)
Some researchers focused on the history of Kariov's pedagogy in China from 1949 to 1957.The dissemination of the beginning and end,the mode of transmission,the positive impact on the Chinese education,and Chinese Multiple ways of learning,the attitude of learning,the focus of learning,etc.were the research themes.
Learning the educational experiences of the Soviet Union start from China's northeast region and then moved to nationwide in largely.The main reason is the establishment of education policy of learning from the advanced experience of the Soviet Union by our government at that time.Simultaneously,many people think thought that Soviet education was the highest stage of development in education and a real science education.Except for Kairov's pedagogy,other Soviet educators' works were recommended also.When learning from the Soviet educational experiences,many steps have been taken,such as,translating and publishing Soviet education works,inviting Soviet educators to coach knowledge of pedagogy,giving counseling and universality lectures actively by education researchers,working hard and writing a lot of learning experiences by learners.The results were that the Soviet Union especially Kairov's pedagogy became the most scientific education and the whole pedagogy.
However,in this process,the study and explore of education theory was replaced by learning how to learn Kairov's pedagogy preferably.And the emphasis of learning was focused on the methods of learning and teaching.Understanding and analysising theory itself was no longer the focus,and turning to pay attention to the study of the spirit and attitude.Many people regarded Kairov's pedagogy as the spokesman of Marxism-Leninism education,with the attitude of Marxist classic approach to Kairov's pedagogy and the enthusiasm of learning more than the rational.At that time,some scholars had criticized the phenomenon in the academic view,however,this attracted rebutting from other scholars.Scholars no longer discussed the focuses of education on the theoretical issues,instead,using and explaining the conclusion of the Soviet Union education became the focus of the study.
3.4 The Experiences and Lessons of Learning Kairov's Pedagogy
In the researches about Kairov's pedagogy in China from 1949 to 1957,comment on the status history of Kairov's pedagogy in China have been given impartially.For example,Qu Baokui,who is a well-known educational scholar,suggest that Kairov's pedagogy emphasizes on the institutionalization education,and had played an important role in stabling school order,improving the quality of education at that time in our country.At the same time,it had completed a gestalt transformation in theoretical model and filled the gaps in the theory of socialist education.
Many commentators confirmed Kairov's pedagogy,which was characterized by regularized,institutionalized,and centralization of education,have impacted positively on Chinese education,at the same time,they argued for the negative impact on our education in theory and practice.It includes two aspects,one is that the theoretical framework could not shake off the shadow of Soviet pedagogy in education theory,another is that in primary and secondary schools,teaching method is single stereotype,and teaching plans,curricula and teaching materials is centralized,and overly emphasizes on the authority of teacher.
Then,why Kairov's pedagogy could bring such a profound effects on area of education in China? Summing up the conclusion of researchers,it can be divided into several areas.
Firstly,Kairov's pedagogy theory is scientific,and reveals the laws of education partly.It summed up the Soviet Union education experience in 1920s,also inherit many progressive educators' education thinking critically.Many ideas could improve the quality of education.Gu Mingyuan,who studied in Soviet Union in 1950s and is a well-known educational scholar,suggests that Kairov's theoretical system is actually a replica of Herbart's theory.Before liberation our have received western education,and impacted by Herbart education.At the beginning of learning the Soviet Union educational theory,some scholar tended to be inconsistent.However,when they learned more about Kairov's pedagogy and though that it same to the former,and then accepted it easily.
In particular,Kairov's theory of teaching is operational,and it is like a working manual.It can be used by the newly qualified teachers to grasp the skills of teaching easily,in accordance with its practice,teaching quality could be improved in a short period of time.
Secondly,at that time,there were many similarities situation in China and the Soviet Union.Ideology was the same,were centralized and planned economy,etc.Educational experiences of the Soviet Union was similar with our culture and traditions and this made people received Kariov's pedagogy very quickly and even acceptable overall.
Thirdly,the policy of learning from the Soviet Union made by government played a policy-oriented role with the absolute.After the founding of new china,China's implementation of “one-sided” policy,and the policy of cultural and education was learning from Russia,the approach of learning from top to down made the Soviet educational theory spread across the country quickly.The learning was one-way,allowing only honest to learn,forbidding doubt or criticism slightly.
Fourthly,learning the advanced educational experience of the Soviet Union with a passion without rational.In the wave of learning from the Soviet Union with heart and soul,people were really passionate about it,they regard Kairov's pedagogy as the Bible.Take Kairov visited china as an example in 1957,according to records,the number of attending his lecture or meeting was more 15,000.The speeches of Kairov,interview records,and memoirs in China had been published in the “Guangming Daily” and other newspapers,the total was more than a dozen.At that time,Kairov was regarded as a well-liked author who compiled the famous textbook.His speeches were full of valuable inspiration and his pedagogy was the first book written with Marxism-Leninism perspective.The study was full of passionate and lack of rationality and led to many ridiculous things.The reason was that we only see the commons and ignore the difference between the Soviet Union and us.The selection criteria was political ideology.
4.Reflection of Existing Researches
We can summarize a achievement that the existing research has great value in helping construct education theory and guide education practice.The researches emphases on how to draw better from foreign theory and avoid return to the old.It is various features lead to that foreign theory rooted in and propounded influence in China.Nowadays it is a urgent problem that how to draw from the theory of western education and boost Chinese educational theory.There are several problems to solve when looking back the history of learning from the Soviet educational experiences.
4.1 What is More Important between Policy Impetus and the Scientific of Theory Itself?
The spread of Kairov's pedagogy in China was the result of national policy intervention actively.The process of spread is not a gradual integration process,but a process of national mandatory in a short time.In addition,the process of learning was short of rational pragmatic attitude and the reason was the standard depending on political ideology in selecting advanced education theory.Many researchers suggest that the fate of Kairov's pedagogy in China is closely related to ideology and its ups and downs impacted by political factors.However,which factors and ways could play an important role? How to take its right place and what status of the theory logicality itself should be placed on?
The scientificalness of theory couldn't replace by the impact of ideology.If we know the conclusion that spreading impacted only by ideology,the scientific of theory itself may be concealed.Take it for granted that as long as do something in accordance with government,the practice and theory of education would be changed rapidly.However,we can know it is not the case from the implementation of new curriculum reform.In fact,the situation are not similar between the foundation of New China and the present stage.The passionate of facing new things and independent consciousness cannot be mentioned in the same breath.
4.2 How to Integrate Foreign Theory and Local Experience?
A conclusion of on studying the different fates of Kairov's pedagogy in Soviet Union and China suggest that the existence of Kairov's pedagogy is very short in Soviet Union and the impact of it is weak but the impact in China is propounded.The phenomenon of a theory that could not exist for a long time in local but could impact propounded in foreign area is very popular.The author calls it is the phenomenon of Kariov's pedagogy.The study and phenomenon alerts us in introducing and spreading foreign theory in the future.
Foreign theory is based on its own local experience.It would have the similar soil culture and environment that foreign theory could experiment and root in other countries.He similarities between Soviet educational experience and Chinese traditional experience make it into our education areas easily.The differences between them cause some ideas into our classes,for example,the system of seminar is very popular in Soviet college classroom and it could inspire students to think independently.However,the seminar of discussion between teacher and student couldn't exist in Chinese classroom.
For decades,regardless of whether teachers had heard of Kairov's theory about teaching or learning or not,they are using the theory .The impacts of Kairov's teaching theory also can be seen in primary and secondary school classroom.Why the theory which once be regarded as the dross of Soviet Union has such a tenacious vitality？
4.3 Theory and the Activities of Learning Theory are Different.
Kariov's pedagogy was the products of Soviet Union corrected leftism fault by criticizing Dewey's pragmatism education ideas.It was the outcome of the Soviet educational reform and based on the experience of Soviet education.It have revealed the rules of institutionalized school education partly and was the important achievements during the development of modern pedagogy.We learnt the advanced educational experience when we constructed new education in 1950s.This played a role in stabling teaching order and improving teaching quality.At the same time,it met the needs of socialism educational theory for us.However,the learning emphasized on the teaching methods of pragmatic parts and looked down the basic principles of education.The process of learning neglected the disadvantages of Soviet educational theory.The existence of dogmatism which quoted the classics and copied automatically was very common in learning Soviet advanced educational experience.The profound lessons in learning Soviet educational experience is the narrow vision of learning.
Soviet pedagogy has its limitation inevitably from the history of emerge background.There were obvious defects and shortcomings from the specific proposals.The defects of complete following and listening one side were paltry in the activities of learning and transplanting the Soviet education.The negative effects of Soviet pedagogy brought to Chinese education theory and practice.And do the effects come from the weak point of Soviet pedagogy itself or the one-side attitude in learning the USSR or the both? We should clarify the reason when looking back the history.
5.Conclusion
The researches of Kairov's educational theory in China could provide some lessons for learning foreign theory today.How to differentiate the positive and negative of Kairov's pedagogy and how to treat them respectively? What has been produced from the ups and downs of Kairov's pedagogy in China? What is the criteria should be use when selecting the object of learning? What is the attitude to treat the experiences and lessons which are accumulated when learning from others since the founding of New China? That is to say,there are lots of issues to research for us.The purpose of studying history is no longer go the old roads.Luo Rongqu,who was an well-known historian,once stated that the biggest historical lessons for Chinese is failing to learn from history.