As early as the early 1930s, Dong, a former professor of Nanjing Normal University, translated the book Behavior Curriculum, when behaviorism was spreading in China. At this time, Zhang Xuemen also began his research on kindergarten behavior curriculum. He has made a special discussion on kindergarten curriculum in his works such as Introduction to Early Childhood Education, New Theory of Early Childhood Education and New Early Childhood Education. After he went to Taiwan Province Province in 1946, he continued to devote himself to the research of kindergarten curriculum, and published the book Updating Kindergarten Behavior Curriculum in 1966, which initially formed his theoretical system of "behavior curriculum". Later, in the early 1970s, he published a book "Research on Kindergarten Curriculum in China", which further discussed the kindergarten curriculum. Here is a brief introduction to his main views and opinions on kindergarten behavior curriculum.

(A) the meaning of kindergarten behavior curriculum

As early as 1929, Zhang Xuemen put forward in the book Kindergarten Research: "What is the curriculum? Curriculum is experience, and it is human experience. Use the most economical means, according to organized modulation, and use various methods to arouse children's reactions and activities. " At the same time, it is clearly pointed out: "What is the kindergarten curriculum? This is to prepare for the experience that children aged three to six can do and are willing to do. " Shortly thereafter, he pointed out in the book Introduction to Early Childhood Education: "Curriculum originates from human experience, only because these experiences are of great help to life (individuals and society) and have special value; Therefore, if human beings want to meet their own needs and enrich their lives, they must learn these experiences, learn some and want to learn more, and pass on what they have learned to future generations. " Therefore, he believes that the curriculum should not be regarded as "the integration of knowledge", but should include "skills, knowledge, interests, morality, physical strength, customs and etiquette" in the curriculum. In other words, courses are valuable materials to adapt to growth. "But at this time, he has not clearly put forward the concept of" behavior course ". It was not until 1966 published the book "Updating kindergarten behavior curriculum" that he clearly put forward the question of what behavior curriculum is. He said: "Life is education, and the practice of children aged five or six living in kindergartens is behavior courses." He believes that this kind of course is "completely based on life, which comes from life, develops in life and ends in life, unlike ordinary activities that are completely limited to teaching materials." "First of all, we should pay attention to the actual behavior. Anyone can sweep the floor, clean the table, cook sugar, popcorn, raise chickens, raise silkworms, plant corn, plant all kinds of small flowers and so on. Children should be allowed to take action. Because "the knowledge gained from behavior is the real knowledge; The real problem is the difficulties in action; Winning from action is the real ability to control the environment. "At the same time, only through this practical behavior can children make individuals contact with the environment, thus producing a direct experience, which can also be said to be the basic experience of life. He also specifically stated that "children must have direct experience to supplement their imagination. "As for games, stories, singing and other teaching materials, although they can also give children opportunities to imitate and perform, they cannot represent the actual behavior of human beings. Therefore, he asked teachers to pay attention to children's actual behavior, and "often use the natural and social environment to arouse their life needs, expand their life experience and cultivate their life ability." He believes that "if teachers can really do this, this is a behavior course". "

(B) kindergarten behavior curriculum organization

How to organize kindergarten courses according to the requirements of the above behavior courses? He believes that the organization of kindergarten curriculum is different from primary schools, middle schools and universities, and it has its own characteristics and requirements, with three characteristics:

First, "a naive student has no clear boundary between nature and personnel. He regards everything in the universe as a whole. " Therefore, if the curriculum is divided too clearly and systematically, it will not cause children's reaction.

Second, "in infancy, meeting personal needs is more than social desires." Therefore, when compiling courses, we should take into account the needs of both society and individuals.

Third, "the kindergarten curriculum should be based on the children's own direct experience." Although this experience is not as economical and tidy as teaching, it is of great significance to young children.

Later, in the book "Research on Kindergarten Curriculum in China" published in the early 1970s, he further put forward some standards and requirements for organizing kindergarten curriculum on the basis of summarizing more than 40 years of research experience, such as: "Curriculum should be linked with children's life. It is a purposeful and planned activity. There should be preparation in advance, environmental assessment, considerable organization and lofty goals. All actions and materials must conform to the child's experience, ability and interest.

Children must have the opportunity to develop their creativity freely in action. All kinds of knowledge, skills, hobbies and habits are obtained from children's direct experience. "Here he not only put forward the connection between curriculum and children's life; It must meet the needs of children's ability, interest and free development, with special emphasis on the curriculum must have a purpose, a plan and a lofty goal. In practice, he also instructed kindergarten teachers and students to draw up the monthly activity estimation table, that is, the annual curriculum, according to the above standards. In these estimates, activities are divided into three categories: natural environment, social environment and children. Natural environment includes solar terms, animals, plants and natural phenomena. Social environment includes festivals, anniversaries, farming, families, shops, occupations, customs, public institutions and schools; Children's category includes games and diseases, and stipulates the monthly central activities.

(C) the kindergarten behavior course teaching methods

He pointed out that the essence of behavior curriculum is behavior-centered, and design is the process. Only when the behavior has no design steps of planning, implementation and review, it is not valuable behavior; Design without practice is a castle in the air. Therefore, the teaching method of behavior course should be a planned design with activities as the starting point and activities as the end point. Since the behavior course has been designed, it is necessary to choose natural good behaviors that will help children grow and progress according to the design and guide them. At the same time, we must grasp lofty and objective standards in the process, and pay attention to the principle that we must also work hard. Because the teaching method of behavior course is unit teaching, the learning purpose is generally determined according to the children's learning motivation, and then the content of behavior is estimated according to the purpose. The content of behavior course can include children's works, games, music, stories and children's songs, as well as common sense textbooks. But when it is implemented, it should completely break the boundaries of various disciplines. In the process of activities, teachers should choose materials related to learning units in the textbooks of various subjects, use them, and properly cooperate with the development of children's actual behavior, so that the textbooks of various subjects can naturally integrate into children's lives, and strive to come from life, develop in life and end in life. Using behavior course teaching method, teachers should prepare teaching materials, arrange the environment and make detailed plans before class; In the course of the course, teachers should patrol and guide at any time, without emphasizing explanation, but focusing on guiding children's behavior practice, so that children can develop basic habits such as being responsible for obeying the law, being friendly and helping each other in activities. After the teaching of behavior course, evaluation and review are also an important part. Teachers can understand children's achievements in knowledge, thinking, habits, skills, attitudes, ideals, interests, etc., as a reference for improving teaching. As for the choice of units, it must conform to the educational purpose, educational policy, social needs and children's ability.

To sum up, the basic ideas of Zhang Xuemen's kindergarten behavior curriculum theory are "life is education" and "behavior is curriculum", emphasizing that children can gain direct experience through their own actual behavior; At the same time, it is required to organize teaching according to children's abilities, interests and needs, and advocate the use of unit design to break the boundaries of various disciplines. Although this curriculum theory is not completely beyond reproach from the general law of school teaching, it has obvious positive significance for preschool education.