On the morning of September 21, 2018, the inauguration ceremony of the National Famous High School Teaching Reform League of Thinking-Guide Learning and the launch of Xi'an High-tech District No. 1 Middle School Thinking-Guide Experimental Class were held in High-tech District No. 2 Middle School. The principal of Tsinghua University High School Wang Dianjun was elected as the Chairman of the First National Famous High School Teaching Reform League of Thinking-Guide Learning. The National Famous High School Teaching Reform League of Thinking-Guide Learning was initiated by the Educational Science Press, with Tsinghua University High School (TUHS) taking the lead. TUHS, Xi'an High-tech District No.1 Middle School, Hainan Middle School and Shenzhen Futian Middle School are the founding schools.
Proponents of thinking-guide learning and some teachers from TUHS, TUHS Olympic Forest Park Campus, TUHS Yongfeng School and TUHS Xi'an School participated in the event. Proponents of thinking-guide learning included Fang Chaoping, TUHS teacher, Zhang Ying, the vice principal of Xi'an School of TUHS, Wu Xinsheng, the deputy secretary-general of China Next Generation Education Foundation, Sun Jianning, the deputy director of Shaanxi Provincial Education Department, Zhang Liang, Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education Basic Education II deputy director, Yang Niantian, the deputy director of Xi'an High-tech District Management Committee, Wang Xiaodong, the director of Education Bureau of Xi'an High-tech District, Dr. Qing Sulan, the deputy director of Teacher Development Research Center of National Institute of Education Sciences, Yang Xiaoyan, Shaanxi Academy of Educational Sciences dean, Qin Dezeng, the vice dean of Shaanxi Academy of Education Sciences, Liu Can, the secretary-general of the League as well as the assistant director of the National Institute of Education Sciences Training Center, Wang Han, the vice principal of Hainan Middle School, and Wang Shufang, Xi'an High-tech No. 1 Middle School principal. The launching ceremony was hosted by Principal Wang Dejiu of Shenzhen Futian Middle School.
Launch Ceremony
Principal Wang Dianjun and teachers of the TUHS participating in the event
Photo of the leaders and guests
The deputy director of Xi'an High-tech District Management Committee Yang Niantian made a speech first. He made two hopes in his speech: Firstly, it is necessary to stand up to the tide and take the responsibility to promote effectiveness. Secondly, it is of great importance to take the pulse and use innovation to achieve a win-win situation. He pointed out that the significance and value of the establishment of the National Famous High School Teaching Reform League of Thinking-Guide Learning were based on this. For member schools, the key to future efforts lies in: identifying problems, assessing gaps; complementing resources, creating opportunities; multi-party breakthroughs, and joint efforts.
Yang Niantian’s speech
Subsequently, Wang Han, the vice principal of Hainan Middle School introduced the process of the establishment of the League and read the League Regulations. He hoped that the schools participating in the League could fulfill their responsibilities and obligations in strict accordance with the regulations and welcomed schools with uniqueness in the reform and innovation of thinking-guide learning to discuss the teaching plan for thinking-guide learning.
Wang Han’s speech
Sun Jianning, the deputy director of Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education, put forward three requirements in his speech. Firstly, to clarify the development goals of the League— to change the life status of the teachers and students of the member schools, to enhance education and teaching effectiveness, and to promote the high-speed development of the schools by conducting three years of continuous training, practice, reflection, and improvement. Secondly, to establish scientific development concept which means adhering to the main body of the school, integrating resources, leading with quality, uniting autonomously, and taking win-win development path by making use of the opportunity of the college entrance examination reform; learning from the advanced curriculum reform, examination reform and education reform experience; exploring in-depth different advantages of each school; learning from each other's strengths to offset their weaknesses. Thirdly, to explore a common growth model, build a win-win cooperation platform, and expand quality education resources.
Sun Jianning's speech
In the speech, Wang Dianjun, Chairman of the League and the principal of Tsinghua University High School, first expressed his gratitude to the leaders, guests, and fellow colleagues for attending the inaugural meeting of the League. Then, based on his own teaching experience, Chairman Wang introduced the process and purpose of the League: the main purpose of the League is to solve the problems of "why learn" and "how to learn" and to cultivate students' ability to think independently and to master higher-level skills. Meanwhile, the League will unite in the pilot process, exchange information, share resources, live up to people’s expectations, and make this meaningful work better, more scientific and more effective.
Chairman Wang Dianjun delivering the speech
Finally, Dr. Qing Sulan, the deputy director of Teacher Development Research Center of National Institute of Education Sciences, introduced the significance and far-reaching goals of thinking-guide learning to all from the fluency, flexibility and profoundness of thinking, and asked teachers to pay attention to the improvement of the thinking quality of students. Dr. Qing pointed out that the focus on student thinking and guidance is also the process of rapid growth of teachers' profession.
Dr. Qing Sulan delivering the speech
At the inaugural meeting, Liu Can, the secretary-general of the League, the assistant director of the National Institute of Education Sciences Training Center, awarded the plaque of “the First Batch of Experimental Classes of the National Famous High School Teaching Reform League of Thinking-Guide Learning” to Wang Shufang.
Awarding ceremony
"Thinking-Guide Learning" is a class teaching method which is based on the formation and development of thinking, taking the "study-centered" principle. It takes the autonomy, cooperation and inquiry as the basic approaches; the goal navigation, path guidance and problem orientation as the core elements; the holistic learning, relational learning, creative learning, conversational learning, selective learning as the main ways to promote students' thinking and learning.
Text: Ji Cheng
Photo: Jiao Zilong
Review: Wu Xinsheng
Translate: Yang Yilin
Proofread: Cheng Weihang
Edit: Administrative Management Center
