William Kilpatric And Modern Education China

William Kilpatrick is an American outstanding progressive educator in 20th century. He played an important role in the education and culture exchanges between China and the West in early 20th century as well. The thesis chooses the life of Kilpatrick as a point to cut in, and then makes a tentative approaches of contents and influences in following issues, including the contacts between him and his Chinese students, two times visits to China in 1920s, and the experiment of Project Method he designed and proposed in China. The author's all efforts are trying to find out the exact and all round relations between Kilpatrick and the modern China education, returning the history original face.The first part introduces Kilpatrick's life and the formation of his education thoughts. His parents gave his good influences in formation of his characters and virtues. The experiences of teaching and administration in early time made his progressive education ideas grow up; and entering Teachers College of Columbia University and becoming the student of John Dewey, Thondike and Monroe, especially Dewey, may be essential to the formation of his education thoughts at last.According the clue of persons, the second part traces the contacts and friendships between Kilpatrick and his Chinese disciples, including Zhang Boling, Tao Xinzhi and Zhu Qixian, reflecting his friendly feelings to Chinese people.The third part explores the Kilpatrick's two visits to China, including the cause of the visits, the chief contents of his speeches hi China and influences and remarks. Generally speaking, his visits had active meanings to China.The fourth part discuses the influences of Kilpatrick upon china education practice, paying emphasize on project Method principles and its spreading in China.The fifth part makes some critical remarks concerning influences of Kilpatrickon modern China education, analyzing the causes: both America and China had the same deficits of neglecting children in education, desiring for the new teaching methods, the transformation of China's intellectuals minds in the time, the charming force of Kilpatrick's speech and teaching method, propaganda of his former students in Columbia university.