民国时期小学科学教科书用废之争及启示

Debate on the Use or Abolition of Science Textbooks in the Primary School during the Period of the Republic of China and its Enlightenment

民国时期,围绕小学科学教科书的使用发生了一场长达二十多年的争论。争论经历了形成与发展、持续与深入、反复与沉寂等三个阶段,提出了"废除教科书""活用教科书"和"改善教科书"等主张。这些主张都受西方教育思潮的影响而提出,都反对把教科书视为"金科玉律",表达出对"以教师为中心、书本为中心、课堂为中心"的旧教育的不满。争论反映了中国教育由取法日本向取法欧美、由"知识中心论"向"儿童中心论"的转变过程,对当时小学科学的课程标准、教科书和教学都产生了深刻影响,对当前推进小学科学教育改革具有深刻启示。

During the period of the Republic of China, there was a debate about the use or abolition of science textbooks in primary schools for more than twenty years. The debate has gone through three stages: formation and development, continuation and deepening, repetition and dreariness. In the debate, the ideas of "abolishing textbooks", "using textbooks" and "improving textbooks" were put forward. All these propositions oppose the view that textbooks should be regarded as the golden rule, which is based on the western educational thought and expresses dissatisfaction with the old education which is book-centered, teacher-centered, classroom-centered and lecture-centered. The debate reflects the transformation of Chinese education from Japan to Europe and America, from "knowledge-centered theory" to "child-centered theory". The debate had a profound impact on the curriculum standards, textbooks and teaching of Science in primary schools at that time. It also has profound enlightenment for promoting the reform of science education in primary schools.