Chen,Yong-ming (1997)

The transformations from knowledge transmitting to knowledge creating in this century experienced an important reformation period. China, like other countries in the world, recognized that the key point in regenerating basic education lies in the improvement of teachers’ qualities. The situation and characteristics of highly qualified teachers’ training for China’s basic education can be summarized into ten points:

1. establish an ideal mage of teacher;
2. propagate effectively the idea that teachers are to be respected and education stressed;
3. initiate the ideology of life-long education;
4. adapt to the development of society;
5.  lay emphasis on the study of basic education;
6. implement the training of millions of primary and secondary school headmasters;
7. train especially the mainstay of teachers;
8. promote the integration of record of formal schooling and basic quality;
9. strengthen international cooperation;
10. promote the diversity of teachers’ training.

Nevertheless, teachers’ training faced strong influence from the market economy, reformation of the volatility of information era and the existence crisis of teacher education. How to integrate the Eastern fine tradition of respecting teachers with the progression of idea of Western teacher education at a high level, is a worthwhile subject matter deserved an in-depth study facing China’s basic education in the 21st century.

Background about the author:

Prof. Chen Yong-ming paid a 10-year study in Japan, earning some outstanding research awards and his doctoral thesis was published into Japanese, subsidized by The Ministry of Education, Japan. He is currently the Vice-Dean of the College of Educational Science and Technology of East China Normal University, Shanghai. His research publications exceed 1 million Chinese words with special interests in comparative teacher education between Japan and Mainland China.. Prof. Chen won numerous grand national awards for his distinguished higher educational research works in 1995 and 1997.

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