In recent years, domestic researchers have launched a heated discussion on core literacy. From the initial international comparative research to the construction of China's core literacy system, from the compilation of curriculum standards based on core literacy, that is, the construction of discipline core literacy system, to the first-line schools trying to carry out teaching practice based on core literacy, the research has experienced a top-down and gradual refinement development process. In the future, the educational reform based on core literacy will continue to be carried out in depth, and a series of problems such as evaluation and measurement based on core literacy, curriculum teaching and normal education need further discussion by researchers.
Key words:
Core literacy system? ; ? Core accomplishment of discipline; International comparison;
Author's brief introduction: Sun/Master candidate of Education Department of East China Normal University, engaged in curriculum and teaching theory research (Shanghai 200062).
In recent years, the discussion on core literacy in the field of education is in full swing, and the figure of "core literacy" is everywhere, whether in periodical literature or conference forums. As the guiding concept of China's future education reform, the study of "core literacy" is closely related to the development of China's education reform.
This paper collects relevant literature and tries to sort out the development of core literacy research in China. By June 2, 20 16, the number of articles in 20 13, 20 14, 20 15, 20 16 was 40, 59 and 242 respectively. It can be seen that the research on "core literacy" in China has just started, but it will gradually deepen.
Generally speaking, the research on "core literacy" in China can be divided into two main lines. One is the research on the construction of China's core literacy system, that is, to solve the upper-level problem of "what kind of people should education cultivate". The other is the research on the construction of core literacy in various disciplines, that is, to solve the next problem of "how to implement core literacy in curriculum and teaching practice". In addition, a series of questions about the connotation of core literacy and its relationship with the core literacy of the discipline also run through it.
First, establish China's core literacy system.
On May 13 and 16, the major project "Research on the overall framework of students' core literacy in basic education and higher education in China" was officially launched, which marked the official start of the research on core literacy in China. Prior to this, domestic scholars' research on core literacy mainly focused on the introduction of core literacy by international organizations and foreign countries. After that, more scholars began to pay attention to the construction of China's core literacy.
( ? I) Introduction to International Core Literacy Research
At the initial stage of core literacy research, domestic scholars' research mainly focused on the introduction of foreign core literacy system. On 20 13, Zhang Na, a researcher from Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences, gave a detailed introduction to the project "Definition and Selection of Literacy: Theoretical and Conceptual Basis" of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, mainly including the background, development context, main contents and the definition and selection process of core literacy. [1] She then published an article on 20 15, introducing the relevant research of UNESCO on the theme of core literacy, emphasizing that UNESCO's research on core literacy is based on humanism, pays attention to vulnerable groups, conducts research from the perspective of lifelong learning, and attaches great importance to the literacy of 2 1 century. [2]
In addition to OECD and UNESCO, the European Union is also an organization that scholars focus on and learn from. The article "Rebuilding Education for the 2 1 Century-Building the Core Literacy Framework of the European Union" [3] introduced the background and process of the core literacy of the European Union earlier, and then, the article "Policy Opportunities and Challenges in the Period of Education Reform-Implementation and Evaluation of the Core Literacy of the European Union" [4] further introduced the implementation, evaluation and experience in the implementation of the core literacy curriculum of the European Union.
Influenced by international organizations' research on core literacy, at the beginning of the 20th century, countries began to build core literacy systems according to their own national conditions, and published their own research results. Whether it is "2 1 century skills" in the United States or "2 1 century skills" in Japan, the core literacy put forward by various countries has similar characteristics, that is, they all reflect the latest requirements of the development of social economy and scientific and technological informatization, and emphasize the literacy of innovation, information literacy, international vision, communication, teamwork, social participation and contribution, self-planning and management. Although the contents are different, they are all to meet the challenges of the 2 1 century.
Studying the core literacy of international organizations and some countries makes China researchers more aware of the background and causes of core literacy. By analyzing the characteristics of core literacy systems in different countries, we have a deeper understanding of "what kind of people should be trained in 2 1 century". In addition, the experience of other countries in the implementation and evaluation of core literacy courses has also inspired the construction of core literacy system in China.
( ? 2) Discussion on the connotation of core literacy.
2065438+On March 30th, 2004, the Ministry of Education officially issued "Opinions of the Ministry of Education on Comprehensively Deepening the Curriculum Reform and Implementing the Fundamental Task of Cultivating People in Lide", which put forward for the first time in the national document "to study and formulate the core literacy system and academic quality standards for students' development". With the concept of "core literacy" becoming more and more familiar to people, the discussion on the connotation of core literacy is gradually increasing.
Professor Tao Xin from the Institute of Developmental Psychology of Beijing Normal University and others made an early exploration on the connotation of core literacy and the formulation principles of core literacy in China. Starting from the need of establishing education quality standards, they put forward that "students' core literacy should be the requirement of students' knowledge, skills, emotional attitudes and values, and it is the basic guarantee for individuals to adapt to the future society, promote lifelong learning and realize all-round development". Starting from the evolution of China's educational goals, they put forward three value orientations of core literacy. In addition, based on the framework of "people and tools, people and themselves, people and society" proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, this paper analyzes the core literacy frameworks of various organizations and countries in the world and draws inspiration, and puts forward some suggestions for the construction of core literacy system in China. [5]
There are different opinions about the connotation of "core literacy". The first is the interpretation of "literacy". Many scholars equate "literacy" with "quality", "ability" and "skill", emphasizing that "literacy" is comprehensive and can be cultivated through acquired. The second is the interpretation of the "core". One view holds that the key to core literacy lies in "interdisciplinary and comprehensive". Some researchers believe that "core literacy is the most critical and necessary literacy ... core literacy is not only applicable to the special literacy of specific situations, specific disciplines or specific people, but to the universal literacy of all situations and all people. This is the meaning of' core'. " [6] Another view is that the essence of core literacy lies in "foundation". Some researchers believe that "core literacy is the most basic and growing key literacy, just like the foundation of a house, it determines the height of the house". Some researchers believe that "the so-called' core' points to the essence of things and plays a supporting, leading and sustainable role in promoting the overall development of things. Fundamentality is the most fundamental feature of core literacy. " The views of the above scholars are basically similar to the definitions of core literacy abroad.
Some researchers have integrated the definitions of the concept of core literacy in various countries and regions, comprehensively considered the research of core literacy in different disciplines and the actual needs and educational reality in China, and defined it as "core literacy is an essential character and key ability that students gradually form to meet the needs of personal lifelong development and social development in the process of receiving education in the corresponding academic period" [7], and from the objectives, nature, content, function, training, evaluation, structure, development and role, etc.
( ? 3) Establish a core literacy system in China.
When constructing the core literacy system, different international organizations, countries or regions have adopted different research ideas based on their own social reality. However, China adopts the integration idea of combining top-down and bottom-up, and conducts an empirical study on students' core literacy through focus group interviews and questionnaires, with a view to providing suggestions for the construction of students' core literacy system. [8]
On February 20 16, the core literacy of Chinese students' development (opinion draft) was released. The opinion draft lists nine comprehensive qualities: social responsibility, national identity, international understanding, humanistic background, scientific spirit, aesthetic taste, learning to learn, physical and mental health, and practical innovation, and divides them respectively, refining 25 qualities. China's core literacy system has made a concrete response to China's "what kind of person to cultivate". However, how to implement "core literacy" in curriculum and teaching and how to realize "five overall plans" are problems that need to be further solved in the future.
Second, formulate curriculum standards for senior high schools and establish core literacy of disciplines.
( ? 1) the relationship between core literacy and curriculum system construction
Due to the actual situation in different countries or regions, the ways and means of implementing the core literacy system in curriculum reform are also different. Some researchers believe that the relationship between core literacy and curriculum system in major countries can be roughly divided into three modes: the American mode in which core literacy is independent of the curriculum system, the Finnish mode in which core literacy is set in the curriculum system, and the Japanese mode in which core literacy is embodied through curriculum standard content setting. [9] Some people divide the model into direct guidance and indirect accommodation. Among them are New Zealand and France. These countries began the curriculum reform based on core literacy at the beginning of the 20th century, and formally promulgated the new curriculum in the form of legislation. Indirectly accommodating countries refer to the core literacy index system gradually infiltrating into curriculum standards in a complementary form, such as the 2 1 century core literacy alliance in the United States. In order to better integrate core literacy into the school education system, efforts are being made to establish a link between the core literacy index and the core national standards through accommodation.
In addition to the research on foreign core literacy curriculum reform, Chinese scholars also put forward their own views on how to implement core literacy in the curriculum. Some researchers think: "Traditionally, curriculum design is centered on subject knowledge, and most curriculum design begins and ends with subject knowledge. In fact, subject courses are limited to subject areas and do not pay attention to higher-level leadership literacy. " [10] This course design is divorced from the overall educational goal of the upper level. Therefore, it is proposed that every discipline should take the responsibility of cultivating students' core literacy, and different disciplines have different unique contributions to students' core literacy. Similarly, some researchers believe that curriculum is the fundamental way to cultivate students' core literacy and implement core values education. Therefore, Chinese scholars have reached a consensus on integrating core literacy into curriculum teaching.
( ? 2) Core literacy of the discipline
Since 1980s, the United States has taken the lead in compiling subject curriculum standards, which triggered a "standards-driven" education reform movement involving the whole world. An important symbol of this movement is the formulation of national or national curriculum standards. The formulation of curriculum standards should not only pay attention to guiding concepts such as educational objectives, but also be based on the nature of disciplines and the value of educating people. Therefore, the subject literacy model is put forward.
There is little research on the subject literacy model in China, and more discussion focuses on the core literacy of the subject, that is, the subject literacy. Taking mathematics as an example, there is no clear definition of the connotation of "mathematical core literacy". Some researchers have come to the following two conclusions by combing the foreign literature on "mathematical literacy" and "numeracy": First, at present, people basically do not distinguish between "numeracy" and "mathematical literacy". If in the early days, "mathematical literacy" was once equated with certain mathematical knowledge and skills, then today people adopt a broader perspective, that is, it covers many different components or dimensions such as knowledge and skills, processes and methods, emotional attitudes and values. Second, although there are many different research positions, the high concern for social progress and personal development can be regarded as another common feature of all these studies. [1 1] Moreover, the researcher believes that while actively advocating "core literacy", it is necessary to prevent pure "slogan manipulation" and "word games".
At present, the revision of senior high school curriculum standards in China is under way. The mathematics curriculum standard-setting group temporarily defines the core literacy of mathematics as "mathematical abstraction, logical reasoning, mathematical modeling, intuitive imagination, mathematical operation and data analysis", and lists the specific performance levels for each literacy. From this result, our country's core literacy construction is defined from the perspective of discipline, emphasizing the importance of discipline literacy. However, there is no explicit reference to general and basic literacy. The research on the construction of mathematics core literacy system is in its infancy, and there are few related documents. The research on the construction of core literacy system can provide ideas and directions for the construction of mathematics core literacy. The study of "core literacy of mathematics" is from the perspective of "big education" and "subject education". The construction of mathematics core literacy system will inevitably lead to the conflict and integration of the two.
Third, the core literacy curriculum design and practice
As mentioned above, China's curriculum reform around "core literacy" is still in the stage of formulating curriculum standards, that is, the construction of discipline core literacy system, and one of the topics involved is "comprehensive curriculum".
Starting from 20 10, tsinghua university primary school began to build a "1+X course" suitable for students' development. Taking the five qualities of "physical and mental health, ambition in learning, love in the world, aesthetic taste and learning change" as the core qualities of the school, a quality target guide and a classroom music learning manual were formulated during the course implementation, which built a bridge between curriculum standards, teaching materials and teaching. [12] Some researchers believe that the curriculum reform of basic education should make three efforts: First, put physical and mental health at the top of the curriculum objectives. Second, curriculum teaching should cultivate students' lifelong learning ability. Third, the content and implementation of the course should lay a foundation for students to go to society. Based on these three efforts, Professor Gu Mingyuan thinks that tsinghua university primary school's "1+X curriculum" is of great significance to the current curriculum reform of basic education. [13] Obviously, this is a positive evaluation of "1+X course" from the perspective of "big education". Regarding the "comprehensive curriculum", some researchers have published a series of articles in People's Education. The researcher thinks: "Comprehensive curriculum should never be understood as a simple combination of related contents in form, but mainly depends on how we reveal the essence or internal unity of the object through in-depth analysis." [14] Curriculum practice based on core literacy is still lacking, and there are few relevant empirical studies. This is also the direction that educational research should strive for in the future.
Four. Summary and prospect
( ? 1) There are many theoretical discussions and few empirical studies.
No matter from the perspective of "big education" or "subject education", we should avoid being too rigid in superficial conceptual analysis, which will lead to confusion among educators. Clarifying the background, purpose and significance of "core literacy" and "discipline core literacy" and correctly guiding practice are the destination of educational reform. As one researcher said, "avoiding putting forward all kinds of new slogans too frequently, while lacking in-depth research and clear explanation, is easy to give people the impression of' playing word games', which will inevitably bring serious negative effects to practical work." In addition, many researchers follow the trend of "core literacy" and want to add the "hat" of "core literacy" in any research field, but the research itself lacks originality.
( ? 2) Research on evaluation and measurement based on core literacy
The Opinions of the Ministry of Education on Comprehensively Deepening Curriculum Reform and Implementing Lide Shu Ren's Fundamental Task puts forward that "the core literacy system and academic quality standards for students' development should be studied and formulated". China's core literacy system has been in the stage of soliciting opinions, and academic quality standards have become the focus of the next core literacy research. The measurement and evaluation based on core literacy poses a greater challenge to the evaluator. In order to measure students' learning process and quality, the traditional structured test questions can no longer meet the needs of evaluation, and even the paper-and-pencil test itself is not fully qualified for the task of evaluation. Therefore, both the preparation of open questions and the implementation of formative evaluation put forward higher requirements for researchers, which is also an urgent problem to be solved in the next step.
( ? 3) Educational practice based on core literacy and cultivation of normal students.
With the popularization of the concept of core literacy education, many schools at the forefront of reform have built their own core literacy framework. Although their practice is still immature, they bravely took the first step. Although there are not many educational practices about core literacy, there are many attempts. However, the research on the core literacy education of normal students is hardly involved. A question worth thinking about is: How can teachers who come out of exam-oriented education teach a class based on core literacy? Therefore, if we start with the training of preparatory teachers, we can train a new generation of teachers who meet the core literacy training concept from the source, so as to integrate into the classroom more quickly.
refer to
[1] Zhang Na's research on core literacy and its enlightenment [J]. Educational Science Research, 20 13( 10).
[2] Zhang Na. Research on UNESCO's Core Literacy and Its Enlightenment [J]. Education Guide: First Half, 20 15(7).
[3] Pei Xinning and Liu Xinyang. Rebuilding education for the 2 1 century-the establishment of EU's "core literacy" framework [J]. Global Education Outlook, 20 13( 12).
[4] Liu Xinyang and Pei Xinning. Policy Opportunities and Challenges in the Period of Education Reform —— Implementation and Evaluation of EU's "Core Literacy" [J]. Global Education Outlook, 20 14(4).
[5] Tao Xin, Jiang Yu, Liu Xia. The Construction of Students' Core Literacy Model in Compulsory Education in China [J]. Journal of Beijing Normal University: Social Science Edition, 20 13( 1).
[6] Shi Jiuming. Core literacy: in order to cultivate "all-round development" [J]. People's Education, 20 14( 10).
[7] [8] Lin Chongde .265438+Research on the core literacy of students' development in the 20th century [M]. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press, 20 16.
[9], Jiang Yu, Wang. Curriculum system based on students' core literacy [J]. Basic Education Forum, 20 16(9).
Shao Chaoyou, Zhou, Cui. Development of Curriculum Standards Based on Core Literacy: International Experience and Enlightenment [J]. Global Education Outlook, 20 15(8).
Zheng Yuxin. Focus on "Mathematics Core Literacy" —— The third series of "Core Literacy and Comprehensive Curriculum from the Perspective of Discipline" [J]. Primary school math teacher, 20 16(3).
[12] Dou Guimei, Hulan. Construction and implementation of "1+X course" based on the development of students' core literacy [J]. Curriculum, teaching materials and teaching methods, 20 15( 1).
Gu Mingyuan. Core literacy: the driving force of curriculum reform [J]. People's Education, 20 15( 13).
Zheng Yuxin. From "Comprehensive Mathematics" to "Comprehensive Curriculum" —— The second series of "Core Literacy and Comprehensive Curriculum from the Perspective of Discipline" [J]. Primary school math teacher, 20 16(2)