Post Cultural Revolution Teaching Methods. Occasional Paper No. 77-7.

This paper highlights the developments in teaching methods in China in the era of the post-Cultural Revolution, and explains how these methods grew out of educational experimentation during the Yenan period. The Yenan period followed the historic "long march, "when Mao Tse-tung and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) established their base in Shensi province. At that time, a school was established characterized by political education, firm leadership, integration of theory with practice, and simplified curriculum. The basic method of teaching was the enlightenment method, an inquiry process involving initial questions and group discussion to develop answers. Many of these practices are now prevalent in Chinese schools. Political education stressing Maoist teachings is of primary importance and begins in the fourth grade. Schools are run by workers, revolutionary cadres, and local PLA Units. Curriculum is related to needs of individual communities. Productive labor is emphasized as well as book learning, a concept which helps produce a classless society. The teacher's authority is not absolute; traditional respect for teachers' intellectual superiority is no longer acceptable. This has created a need to re-educate teachers to have an ideological outlook consistent with Maoist tenets. Problems arising from this change include class discipline and blending Maoist thought into all lesson content. (Author/AV)