Regardless of grades, education first appeared in the United States in the 1960s. From 65438 to 0959, American J. Goodrider and R. Anderson published the book Schools of All Grades, which caused a wide influence in American education. In the 1990s, the United States re-emphasized education at all levels. 1992, Kentucky passed the education reform law, which stipulated that all lower grades of public primary schools in the state must receive education regardless of grade. Subsequently, Mississippi and Oregon also passed similar education reform programs. By 1996, there have been 13 states in the United States that have tried out all grades of education.
First, regardless of the significance of grade education.
Regardless of grades, education refers to arranging students of different ages and abilities in the same class for teaching activities. Students can master basic concepts and skills step by step according to their different learning levels and progress, from easy to difficult, from simple to complex, without having to bear the pressure of upgrading on time at the end of each year. Education is not divided into grades, which breaks the traditional teaching organization form of grading and grouping according to students' age and ability, and focuses on the individual differences of students, trying to make every student develop.
Second, implement education regardless of grade.
(A) Teaching content
Comprehensive courses are adopted in education, regardless of grade. According to students' interests and needs and the requirements of the syllabus, teachers purposefully choose topics that are related to students' daily life and have teaching significance, and design colorful interdisciplinary teaching activities around the topics. Through the theme, teachers organically combine the contents of various subjects, so that students can learn and master the knowledge. Focusing on the comprehensive course of theme teaching, it emphasizes students' cooperative learning in groups and mutual help among students, which is conducive to students' active participation in teaching activities. For example, the math class to learn how to weigh rocks covers mathematics, geography, expression, pictures and so on. The teacher first asked the students to compare the colors, shapes and sizes of different rocks, and then taught them how to weigh with scales and practice in groups. Finally, students are required to write the name, characteristics and weight of rocks according to the exercises, with illustrations.
teaching method
1. Mixed age learning
Childhood is the biggest stage of individual differences in intellectual development. And because of the imbalance of individual internal development, there will be greater differences. Therefore, according to the age of the class does not conform to the law of children's personality development differences. Regardless of grade education, we should break the traditional grade teaching form and adopt the teaching method of mixed age learning. The so-called mixed-age learning is to divide children of different ages into classes according to their different learning interests, specialties, ability levels and needs. Students are not marked according to their grades, and there is no title of "Grade One" or "Grade Two", only agents, such as "Class A" and "Class B". Take Jackson Elementary School in Kentucky as an example. Students aged 6-9 are first divided into classes A, B, C and D, and then divided into different groups according to their abilities, interests and specialties.
2. Flexible grouping
According to teaching, various learning groups have been set up in different grades of education, such as problem solving groups, skill groups, practice groups and interest groups. At the same time, it has changed the grouping method based on students' single and individual abilities in the past, but based on students' different learning interests, specialties, ability levels and needs. Students' learning groups are not fixed, but constantly adjusted according to their learning needs and changes. For example, a student may be assigned to a group with a high level of mathematics, while reading may be assigned to a group with a low level of learning, or receive individual counseling from a partner or teacher with a high level of reading.
3. Learning Activity Center
Regardless of the level of education, the classroom is divided into different learning activity centers according to the discipline or teaching needs, such as reading, science, mathematics, art, games and so on. Each activity center is carefully designed and arranged by teachers according to the characteristics and needs of students, and equipped with necessary learning materials and appliances. Students can choose different activity centers according to their interests and learning progress, or study independently or participate in group learning. Take Jackson Elementary School in Kentucky as an example. When you walk into a classroom, you will find that there are no neatly arranged tables and chairs, but chairs arranged around several long tables. In the corner in front of the classroom, there are various learning tools, such as scales, globes, magnifying glasses, painting pigments and so on. The most striking thing is the book corner behind the classroom, a rectangular bookshelf and some comfortable benches. In class, students choose different activity centers according to their own situation. Some learn to weigh, some learn to calculate, some learn to draw, and some read alone in the corner.
4. Students accelerate themselves.
Regardless of grade, education has changed the traditional teaching method that teachers in grade schools dominate the whole learning process and students bear the responsibility of what to learn, how to learn and how long to learn. The teacher plays the role of consultant. Students can adjust their progress according to their own learning situation. As long as they reach the predetermined goal of this stage, they can learn the next stage. Taking Jackson Primary School as an example, students have to submit a three-stage learning plan every semester, which is formulated by students according to their own conditions, mainly including learning objectives, contents and progress. For example, a six-year-old student Richie's study plan from September to 10 includes three goals: knowledge and skills (learning to make sentences), social skills (being able to read and write the names of the whole class) and study skills (being able to finish homework independently), ways to achieve the goals and teachers' comments. The time to reach the goal is decided by Ricky according to his own progress. As long as he has completed this stage of learning tasks, he can learn the next stage.
(3) Evaluation method
Regardless of grade education, grade evaluation is cancelled and comprehensive evaluation method is adopted. Evaluate students' learning and development through various channels and methods. Therefore, in addition to subject examination, regardless of grade education, we also adopt methods such as observation, interview, practical operation and homework sampling to establish students' learning files. In addition, teachers should analyze and summarize the data in students' learning files in a planned and phased manner, and write detailed evaluation reports and educational counseling programs. For example, in Jackson Elementary School, every student has a personal growth portfolio, which records the progress and existing problems of students at each stage. Except for some subject exams, the school holds a review meeting once a month to evaluate students' classroom performance, homework, extracurricular activities and other indicators. Students who have made outstanding progress will receive a letter of commendation signed by the principal. Moreover, the teacher will send the students' situation at each stage to their parents and give them an evaluation according to their feedback.
Third, regardless of the teaching effect of grade education.
Since the implementation of education at all levels, there has been constant controversy, but after more than ten years of development, certain achievements have been made. According to the survey of American scholar Simone Pavan, in 64 research reports on education regardless of grade published from 1968 to 1990, 52 cases (9 1%) of 57 studies used standardized academic achievement test, which showed that students regardless of grade scored better than (58%) or equal to (38%). At the same time, the survey of Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Project (TCAP) in the United States also shows that the teaching effect of non-grade education is not worse than that of traditional grade education. This project counts the vocabulary, reading, language and math scores of primary school students in all grades and traditional grades in Tennessee. It is found that the scores of students in all grades are higher than or equal to those of students in traditional grades, except that the scores of senior one students are lower than those of students in traditional grades by more than ten percentage points.
Four, regardless of the characteristics and limitations of grade education
(A) Characteristics
1. is beneficial to the development of students' personal ability.
Regardless of grades, education pays attention to students' individual differences, respects the law of students' individual development, divides students into classes and groups according to their individual abilities, interests and individual needs, establishes learning activity centers and implements comprehensive courses. Students can choose learning content according to their own specialties, interests, ability levels and needs, and carry out effective learning. Each student's learning progress and content are different, so that students' individual ability can be fully reflected and developed.
2. It helps to stimulate students' enthusiasm.
Regardless of the level of education, students are encouraged to participate in learning in a self-guided and meaningful way and take responsibility for their own learning. It has changed the traditional teaching method that primary school teachers dominate the whole learning process and students bear the responsibility of what to learn, how to learn and how long to learn. Students set learning goals, choose learning content and determine learning progress according to their own conditions, and teachers mainly play the role of consultants. It is beneficial for students to study effectively according to their learning ability and interest in a relaxed environment and give full play to their enthusiasm and creativity.
3. It is beneficial to students' social development.
Regardless of grades, education enables children of different ages and abilities to study together, and enables students to get opportunities to interact with different people and know how to interact with them. Especially get along with students of different ages, so that students can understand the diversity of society and how to build sincere friendship across the age gap. In the process of setting an example and helping young children, older children have developed their leadership ability and strengthened their self-discipline ability. In terms of activity participation, children have the ability to participate in relatively complex activities. When older children start activities, younger children can participate, even if they can't initiate and organize such activities. Students' social skills and emotions are cultivated in communication, which promotes their socialization development.
4. Conducive to the correct evaluation of students
Regardless of grades, education has changed the traditional grade evaluation methods and adopted a variety of evaluation methods. Comprehensive, continuous and comprehensive evaluation of students' learning and development. Students' academic performance is no longer the only evaluation criterion. It frees students from the pressure of competing with their peers, and avoids failure at any cost, so that every student can enjoy a successful experience and have confidence in his ability and academic future.
(2) limitations
1. Regardless of grade, education has higher requirements for teachers.
Successful education in all grades requires teachers to teach flexibly and in accordance with their aptitude, starting from the characteristics, ability level and needs of each student. In terms of teaching content, teachers must carefully prepare, choose courses suitable for students' needs and related to students' real life, and also present them in various activities. In teaching methods, teachers should inspire and adapt to students' thinking, participate in students' open inquiry, and guide students to master real research methods and steps. In the process of teaching, teachers should supervise students' learning activities in time and provide students with necessary help and suggestions. In the evaluation of students, teachers should comprehensively evaluate students, pay attention to the changes of each student at different stages, and give timely attention and suggestions. In short, teachers play a variety of roles in the education of all grades, such as commander, tutor, enlightener and evaluator. There are higher requirements for teachers' own quality, professional skills and knowledge reserve.
2. Increase the difficulty of curriculum development
The comprehensive course implemented in all grades of education must first meet the requirements of the syllabus, so that students can master basic knowledge, improve their ability and meet the requirements set by the teaching objectives. More importantly, the course should be based on students' personal life experience and daily life to meet students' learning interests and needs. By selecting topics with rich teaching significance and organically combining the contents of various subjects, it undoubtedly increases the difficulty of course writing.
3. It is not conducive to students to master knowledge systematically.
The lack of systematicness and coherence in the teaching content of all grades is not conducive to students' forming a good cognitive structure. At the same time, the task of learning is not limited by teaching time, and the realization of teaching task depends on students' high consciousness, so the teaching effect is difficult to guarantee, which leads to the lack of integrity and systematicness of students' learning knowledge. Especially can't adapt to the memory-based exam.
4. It is easy to widen the gap between college students.
In the case of different grades of education, each student's learning content and progress are different, there is a gap between older students and younger students, and their performance in learning ability is also uneven. In the long run, the gap between students will become wider and wider, which will dampen the enthusiasm of young students or students with poor ability.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) abstract
As a form of personalized teaching organization, non-grade education has advantages that traditional grade education does not have. It attaches importance to the individual differences of students, pays attention to the development of each student, devotes itself to cultivating students' creativity, autonomous learning ability and social skills, and promotes the development of education. However, regardless of grade, education also has limitations, such as higher requirements for teachers, increased difficulty in preparing lessons, which is not conducive to the systematization of students' knowledge, and increased the gap between students. Therefore, when we learn from the teaching experience of grade-free education, we should pay attention to overcoming its limitations and find the connection between grade-free education and traditional grade education, so as to organically combine the two and provide better and more suitable education for children.