A Study Of Zhang Zonglin’s Rural Preschool Education Thoughts

Zhang Zonglin is a famous preschool educator during the period of the Republic of China. He followed the trend of education democratization, came to the countryside and took the kindergartens into the rural society. He assisted Tao Xingzhi to set up the first batch of rural kindergartens in China and carried out a series of courses and teaching experiments in them. He summed up his experiences, wrote books and formed his"civilian, local-color, economic" preschool education thoughts. In terms of enrollment,his kindergarten was serviced for the civilian class. In terms of curriculum, based on the rural society and children’s life, he advocates the content of kindergarten by means of farming activities, health education, reading and algorithm. In teaching activities,according to the characteristics of rural society, he emphasizes the more outdoor activities and flexible teaching time. In teacher training, in order to save money and efficient, he advocates "learn form teacher" training model on the basis of practice,in order to make the teachers as the main body of rural society, he pay more attention to teachers’ social responsibility. His rural preschool education thoughts are democratic,life-oriented, boorish and practical. Not only he had set a model for the rural kindergarten,but also has provided a reference to the current rural preschool education.The introduction part mainly introduces the reason and significance of the study,sums up the current situation of Zhang Zonglin’s rural preschool education thoughts and expounds the research ideas and method.The main part first introduces Zhang Zonglin’s educational experience and practice;secondly discusses the background of the rural preschool education movement from the promotion of Chinese preshool education test and the rise of rural education movement;again explores the theoretical source of Zhang Zonglin’s preschool educational thoughts from three aspects: pedagogy, psychology and epistemology; then analyzes Zhang Zonglin’s rural prechool education thoughts such as the necessity of setting up the rural kindergarten and its significance and the curriculum,teaching and teacher’s training about the rural kindergarten; finally summarizes the characteristics of Zhang Zonglin’s rural preschool education thoughts from the educated person, courses, teaching methods and teaching activities.