如是我聞：樵客老師的國文教學網站

Students should come first in education

National Chiayi University professor Wu Quen-tsai (吳昆財) on Aug. 31 held a news conference to voice his opposition to the new national curriculum. Observing that the “adaptive talent development” aspect of the curriculum puts “me” in first place, Wu interpreted this as meaning “I should be able to do whatever I like.”

However, this is not what the “flipped classroom” approach to teaching really means.

People sometimes wonder why Asian students often win at the starting line, but Western students win at the finish. Research indicates that this has to do with Eastern ways of education. Anxious Taiwanese parents tell their children: “Don’t stumble at the starting block.”

It also has to do with East Asian societies’ blind faith in scores and reputable schools. People think that test scores are the fairest form of evaluation, but score-based assessment depends on standard answers and uniformity of syllabi, textbooks and even ideology. When education only provides uniform values and a uniform view of history, the influence of textbooks becomes greatly magnified, and there will be much bickering about the curricula, proportions and viewpoints they contain.

When an education system is centered around textbooks and teachers, students will be passively inculcated with a fixed corpus of learning. As for teachers, they need only play the role of an authority of knowledge. Like sports coaches, they require students to practice over and over again until they have a thorough grasp of the prescribed body of knowledge.

Western education does not revolve around textbooks and teachers. Rather, it helps students build their own powers of thinking and judgement. When such students eventually go out into the world, it will be a diverse society in which everyone can think independently, instead of one where what appears to be social consensus is really just populism and blind following. If teachers turn out a stream of children who think the same as they do, they might be happy to have passed on their ideas. However, the Western view is that teachers should feel more gratified if their students think differently, because those students have become themselves.

US teachers only spend about a quarter of their energy on preparing students to take standardized tests. Most of their efforts go into helping students engage in diverse and in-depth exploration, and guiding them toward studying things that have greater long-term benefits.

The proportion of curricular versus extra-curricular questions in the tests that Taiwanese students have to take is now being adjusted in response to this direction of educational thinking. The curriculum’s “diverse elective subjects and flexible learning syllabuses” have no doubt started to unravel the former pattern of syllabi being completely controlled by teachers and knowledge monopolized by textbooks. Test questions are more focused on personal, interdisciplinary cultivation.

Allowing students to choose between elective courses creates healthy competition between teachers. With various courses to choose from, students must learn to judge which they want for themselves and which will be beneficial for them. It also creates a positive cycle between teachers and students, because when students can think and judge for themselves, it will naturally lead teachers to amend their teaching strategies. Thus, teachers will grow and develop alongside their students.

The new curriculum makes students the central theme of study, so that it will meet their real needs and future challenges. Meanwhile, a teacher’s job is not just to teach. It also means being someone who never stops learning.

Chen Rui-lin teaches Chinese at a senior high school.

Translated by Julian Clegg

【文章出處】
《英文台北時報（Taipei Times）》
〈Students should come first in education〉
網址：
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2019/09/26/2003722919/1
作者：Chen Rui-lin
【作者簡介】
樵客，本名陳瑞麟，因同名同姓領域接近的名人太多，只好另取筆名，皈依法鼓山，法號果竺。男性，天秤座，高中國文教師，略帶理想浪漫性格，少年憧憬江湖義氣，欣賞俠士或騎士精神，年輕時被師長期望很高，到如今年過不惑還是充滿迷惑，沒太大本領及成就，平時不是在學校，就是在家裡，不然就在任何有書及有網路的地方，喜歡山，喜歡水，喜歡讀書，喜歡思考，喜歡蒐尋教學資料，喜歡巴哈，喜歡貝殼及園藝，興趣廣泛，喜歡不同觀念的撞擊對話，時而疏離安靜，時而熱情充滿使命，對賺錢做官不感興趣，除非中樂透讓他能買書、收藏古董、解救苦難同胞，怕打針及大蜘蛛，怕視力體力越來越不好，怕時間不夠用，老年退休後希望能走遍大江南北，到故宮當導覽員或工友，人生理想為「出世間於世間，藏天下於天下」，本站「忘路之遠近」部落格的主編。



中英對照

（一）

報載吳昆財教授日前召開反對新課綱記者會，將一○八課綱「適性揚才」把「我」放在前面的精神，理解成「只要我喜歡，有什麼不可以」，
National Chiayi University professor Wu Quen-tsai (吳昆財) on Aug. 31 held a news conference to voice his opposition to the new national curriculum. Observing that the “adaptive talent development” aspect of the curriculum puts “me” in first place, Wu interpreted this as meaning “I should be able to do whatever I like.”

筆者對此看法不同，這似乎曲解了教學翻轉的意義。
However, this is not what the “flipped classroom” approach to teaching really means.

近年許多人都在反省一個問題：「為何亞洲學生常贏在起跑線，而歐美卻贏在終點上？」研究認為這與東方教育方式有關。
People sometimes wonder why Asian students often win at the starting line, but Western students win at the finish. Research indicates that this has to do with Eastern ways of education.

伴隨這問題而來的，還有台灣父母「孩子，你不能輸在起跑點上」的普遍焦慮，以及東方社會對成績名校的迷思。
Anxious Taiwanese parents tell their children: “Don’t stumble at the starting block.”It also has to do with East Asian societies’ blind faith in scores and reputable schools.

（二）

成績被視為最公平的評比，而成績檢驗來自背後標準答案，以及統一口徑的範圍、教材、甚至意識形態。
People think that test scores are the fairest form of evaluation, but score-based assessment depends on standard answers and uniformity of syllabi, textbooks and even ideology.

然而，只提供單一價值或史觀的教育，往往極端放大教科書的影響，在課綱、比例、立場上錙銖必較。
When education only provides uniform values and a uniform view of history, the influence of textbooks becomes greatly magnified, and there will be much bickering about the curricula, proportions and viewpoints they contain.

當課本與教師成為教學主體，學生只是被動接受一套固定知識的灌輸，
When an education system is centered around textbooks and teachers, students will be passively inculcated with a fixed corpus of learning.

教師工作只需扮演類似教練的知識權威者，
As for teachers, they need only play the role of an authority of knowledge.

要求學生反覆練習到熟練而已。
Like sports coaches, they require students to practice over and over again until they have a thorough grasp of the prescribed body of knowledge.

歐美教育的核心，不以課本或教師為主體，
Western education does not revolve around textbooks and teachers.

而是協助學生建立自己的思考判斷力。
Rather, it helps students build their own powers of thinking and judgement.

學生將來踏入社會，這個社會就是多元而人人能獨立思考的社會，不是貌似一致卻民粹盲從的社會。
When such students eventually go out into the world, it will be a diverse society in which everyone can think independently, instead of one where what appears to be social consensus is really just populism and blind following.

按照此一精神，教師教出一群和自己想法相同的孩子，固然以理念後繼有人而高興，
If teachers turn out a stream of children who think the same as they do, they might be happy to have passed on their ideas.

但教出和自己想法不同的學生，他更應感到欣慰，因為學生成為他自己、也實現他自己。
However, the Western view is that teachers should feel more gratified if their students think differently, because those students have become themselves.

（三）

美國教師約只花四分之一力氣，引導學生準備標準化測驗，
US teachers only spend about a quarter of their energy on preparing students to take standardized tests.

反而用主要心力，幫助學生做多元深入的探索，引導學生學習更長遠有益的事物，
Most of their efforts go into helping students engage in diverse and in-depth exploration, and guiding them toward studying things that have greater long-term benefits.

而今日學測考題課內外比例也呼應這一方向。
The proportion of curricular versus extra-curricular questions in the tests that Taiwanese students have to take is now being adjusted in response to this direction of educational thinking.

一○八新課綱的「多元選修、彈性學習課程」，無疑開始鬆動以往課程全由教師掌控、知識由課本壟斷的問題，
The curriculum’s “diverse elective subjects and flexible learning syllabuses” have no doubt started to unravel the former pattern of syllabi being completely controlled by teachers and knowledge monopolized by textbooks.

素養考題打通了學科之間的藩籬。
Test questions are more focused on personal, interdisciplinary cultivation.

選修讓老師間產生良性競爭，
Allowing students to choose between elective courses creates healthy competition between teachers.

學生必須開始學習在不同課程之間，判斷什麼是自己想要且有益的學習。
With various courses to choose from, students must learn to judge which they want for themselves and which will be beneficial for them.

師生之間同樣也產生良性循環，因為學生懂得思考判斷，自然會讓教師調整原本的教學策略，
It also creates a positive cycle between teachers and students, because when students can think and judge for themselves, it will naturally lead teachers to amend their teaching strategies.

導引教師一起成長。
Thus, teachers will grow and develop alongside their students.

新課綱以「學生」為學習主體，讓學習能符合學生真實需求及未來挑戰，
The new curriculum makes students the central theme of study, so that it will meet their real needs and future challenges.

而「教師」這個工作本身，它的另一層意義，其實正是一個永遠的學習者。
Meanwhile, a teacher’s job is not just to teach. It also means being someone who never stops learning.