Academic Characteristics and Theoretical Innovation in Education

Author: Liu XuDong
Publisher: China Social Sciences Press

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The public are paying increasing attention to the influence that social transformation, economic development and technological progress have on education. As an activity intended to elevate the spiritual maturity of a person, education is about historical and cultural tradition. The recent work by Liu Xudong offers us a critical reflection on how educational theories are influenced by modernity. Liu Xudong is a professor from Northwest Normal University. His reflection on the nature of education and the relationship between education and the living world deserves notable attention.

Liu suggests that the educational theories influenced by modernity adhere to technical rationality and blindly pursue systematism. They are lifting education up away from daily life and upholding positivism. Liu believes that the life completeness and diversity of the student is easily strangled under such education theories. Such a student will become a “one-dimensional man” as suggested by American philosopher Herbert Marcuse.

After criticizing the essentialism and foundationalism underpinning modern education theories, Liu proposes that the relationship between education activities and academic activities should be reconsidered. He suggests education is an activity with a strong academic character.  Liu suggests that a reflection on this relationship should begin by reconsidering the nature of education.

For Liu, education is an explorative activity in which a teacher influences the development of his or her students with actions and words. During the process, taking into consideration the situation at the time, the educator addresses challenges that arise. In this sense, the educator not only uses their experience and knowledge, but also re-organizes, tests and renews that knowledge. In other words, they create new knowledge. This is an academic process that combines explorative actions with knowledge creation.

This argument is valuable as the education today becomes more an activity about skills. The idea that education is of academic character grants an important position to the personal knowledge of a teacher.

Conducting and understanding education, within the academic tradition of education, means following an inquiry about the initial meaning of education and the nature of life. The development of a student requires acquisition through participation in a given circumstance. However, the establishment of these given circumstances is not spontaneous, but rather created by the teachers through their words or actions.

The inquiry into the essence of education relates to the understanding of the living world. Liu upholds the idea that education and life are homogenous. He suggests the living world is where different subjects carry out activities and interact with each other. It is the precondition of education’s existence and the embodiment of its unique value. As we can see, life is the origin of education. Education shoulders the mission of passing down the meaning of life and creating a good life.

 

(edited by CHEN ALONG)