This paper discusses the background, characteristics and significance of preschool education during the May 4th Movement.

First, the initial period of preschool education in modern China (19 19- 1928)

Mr. Chen Heqin left the United States for home in 19 19, and worked as a professor at Nanjing Normal University and Southeast University successively, and began scientific experiments and research on children's psychology and education. The following year, his eldest son Chen Yiming was born. He made careful observations and experiments, and recorded his physical and mental development day by day. For 808 days in a row, he systematically studied children's body, movements, imitation, suggestibility, games, curiosity, fear, knowledge, speech, aesthetics and thoughts, accumulated rich materials, and published a series of papers on children's psychology and education. Among them, Family Education discusses the principles of 10 1 family education and the specific methods of educating children, which can be called a classic of family education that has influenced generations in China. Mr. Tao Xingzhi published the book review "I would like to read with my parents all over the world", saying that the author "made this book with a scientific mind and a mother's heart, and it is the most valuable book published in China in recent years." 1923 With the support of the Education Department of Southeast University, Nanjing Gulou Kindergarten was established to try Chinese-style and scientific naive education suitable for the national conditions. The following year, he published "The Disadvantages of Today's Naive Education" in New Education magazine, pointing out that there were four major disadvantages in ordinary kindergartens in China at that time: First, there was too little contact with the environment and too long time in the game room; Second, the homework is too simple; Third, there are too many group actions; Fourth, there is no specific goal. [1] 1925 Gulou kindergarten was expanded, and southeast university Lu Zhiwei and others 10 were invited to set up a board of directors to raise funds. The park became an experimental kindergarten for the Department of Education of Southeast University, and Zhang Zonglin was sent to assist in the research work. At this point, the first experimental center for infant education in China was born. Mr. Chen presided over the courses, stories, reading methods, equipment, habits and skills that naive students should have, and co-authored the article "Summary of Nanjing Gulou Kindergarten Experiment for One Year" and published it in the New Education Review. In the summer of that year, the lecture "Naive Education" compiled by the Naive Teacher Workshop of Southeast University made a comprehensive discussion on running a Chinese-style and scientific kindergarten around "Why to run a kindergarten" and "The goal, principle and curriculum of naive education". 1927 The earliest research journal on infant education in China was founded, and the article "Our Proposition" was published. According to the theoretical and experimental summary of running a kindergarten by oneself, this paper puts forward 15 suggestions for running a kindergarten, which are suitable for China's national conditions and the characteristics of children's development, including adapting to the national conditions, spending the night at home, educational content, kindergarten curriculum, teachers' quality, teacher-child relationship, teaching methods and equipment, etc. This 15 creed pointed out the direction for the naive education in China at that time. As Mr. Chen said, "The 15 creed we advocate is certainly not perfect, but from the current situation of China's childish education, it may be a good cure!" [2] That year, New Trends in Early Childhood Education was published in Early Childhood Education. According to the development of preschool education in the world, seven new trends of preschool education are put forward: paying attention to free activities, outdoor activities, setting courses, formulating standards, studying the psychology of preschool students, connecting kindergartens with grade one, and cultivating kindergarten sports. [3] These new trends have guiding value and significance for the development of early childhood education in China at that time.

During the period of 1928, Mr. Chen was responsible for drafting and formulating the national kindergarten curriculum standards. In May, he co-authored Kindergarten Education Series with Zhang Zonglin, and published Reading Methods in Kindergarten, Tales of Kindergarten, Kindergarten Curriculum and Kindergarten Equipment. At the same time, he opposed the separation teaching method between primary school and kindergarten, advocated the "holistic teaching method" and advocated that children should learn everything. In August of the following year, the Provisional Standards for Kindergarten Curriculum edited by Mr. Chen was reviewed and approved by the Drafting Committee of Curriculum Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools, promulgated by the Ministry of Education and tried out nationwide. The curriculum standard consists of three parts: the first part is the general goal of preschool education, the second part is the curriculum scope, including music, stories and nursery rhymes, games, social and natural, work and rest and meals, and the third part is the educational method, which puts forward the 17 educational method and key points. This standard became a programmatic document guiding China's infant education at that time, which made China's infant education stop blindly imitating others and was of epoch-making significance in promoting the reform and development of China's infant education.

The rich thoughts of early childhood education in this period have its unique historical background and social realistic reasons, and Mr. Chen's personal factors can not be ignored. From the internal factors, Mr. Chen 19 14 graduated from Tsinghua and went to study in the United States. He won the boxer indemnity Scholarship. Teacher Chen said, "Tsinghua University was funded by G-sum returned by the United States, and I also studied in the United States with G-sum. What is G-sum? It's not China's time! How can I not thank the people's ointment for training me? Why not consider repayment? " [4] Before he went to America, he originally wanted to study medicine. He changed his mind on the mail boat crossing the Pacific Ocean. He thought that in order to save China from illness, we must start with teaching and educating people, and children are the future and hope of the country. Children's education is the foundation of national education. He decided to devote himself to the education of children in the motherland. His ambition was appreciated by Mr. Tao Xingzhi, who went to the United States in the same boat. Later, they studied for a master's degree in education at Columbia University. Another main internal cause is teacher Chen's infinite love for children. As teacher Chen said, "I like children, and children like me." He called on the whole society to "love children", "respect children" and "do everything for children". It is Mr. Chen's pure love for children that determines his life ambition of devoting himself to children's education.

Externally, during his stay in the United States, under the guidance of famous professors such as Ke, Thorndike and Rogge, Mr. Chen systematically studied American educational theory and psychological experiments and research methods, and deeply benefited from Ke's heuristic teaching method. After returning to China, in the May 4th New Culture Education Movement, he criticized the fetters and harms of outdated feudal patriarchal education to children with his own experience. In view of the present situation that preschool education in China was monopolized by foreign churches and completely westernized at that time, he shouted: "Naive education copied from the West is not suitable for China, China and China children." [5] In addition, after returning to China, he taught the course "Child Psychology" at Nanjing Normal University, and made continuous and meticulous observation and research on the psychological development of early children. These internal and external factors are intertwined, which strengthens his determination to explore a Chinese-style, scientific, democratic and popular modern preschool education road that is suitable for China's national conditions and conforms to the characteristics and laws of children's physical and mental development.

Second, the period when teaching experiments and research were widely carried out and various children's textbooks and reading materials were compiled (1928- 1939).

With the joint efforts of Mr. Chen and his predecessors, the cause of preschool education in China has taken a gratifying first step, and at this time, the voice of reclaiming the right to education from the church is getting higher and higher. With great enthusiasm for the motherland and love for children, Mr. Chen was employed by the Chinese Education Department of Shanghai Concession Bureau.

Very long. Run schools for more children in China. During the period when 1 1 was in charge of the education department, all six primary schools attached to kindergartens, vigorously advocated various teaching experiments and teaching and research activities in primary schools and kindergartens, and still paid attention to the development of naive education, and compiled a series of children's teaching materials and extracurricular reading materials suitable for children: China was published in 193 1 Children's Education. The Lugouqiao Incident happened1July, 937. The China Children's Education Society held its seventh annual meeting in Beiping. Mr. Chen attended the Presidium to discuss preschool education, and insisted on leading southern comrades to detour back to Shanghai until the end of the meeting, which showed his concern and attention to preschool education. That year, How to Be a Parent and How to Educate Children was published in Radio Education Monthly. 1938 co-edited and published "Life Photo of Children in Nanjing Gulou Kindergarten" with Zhong.

Mr. Chen Heqin believes that in order to develop children's education, more people must be mobilized and organized to cooperate. He said: "the truth will only come out after careful consideration and discussion;" Scientific progress depends on cooperation. " "The more people on the spot, the better." [6] Under the guidance of this thought, he vigorously founded academic groups and publications on children's education. In the 1920s, he initiated and organized the infant education research society, and on this basis, he established the China Children's Education Society at 1929. By the 1930s, he had developed into the largest academic group on children's education in China, and edited such publications as Naive Education, Children's Education, Primary School Teachers, etc., and extensively exchanged experiences, expanded publicity and effectively promoted.

Third, the period when the theoretical system of life education was formed and the relatively complete system of preschool normal education was established (1939- 1949).

In China in the 1920s and 1930s, the economy was poor and backward, the people were destitute, people's lives were extremely difficult, science and technology were extremely underdeveloped, and education was also in an old and corrupt situation, copying foreign countries and stagnating. Preschool education is particularly prominent. In this regard, Mr. Tao Xingzhi pointedly revealed that kindergartens in China suffered from three diseases at that time, namely, foreign diseases, spending money diseases and having money diseases. Mr. Chen Heqin also seriously pointed out that "copying Japan today, copying the United States tomorrow, and copying from one place to another will not get any good education." Mr. Tao Xingzhi once summarized the old and corrupt education in old China as "teaching dead books, teaching dead people and teaching dead people". In view of the present situation of education at that time, Mr. Chen thought that he had the responsibility to change, and he was determined to turn this corrupt "dead education" into "progressive, lively and energetic education".

When Mr. Chen Heqin was young, he was influenced by the new educational thoughts in Europe and America. Especially influenced by the American bourgeois progressive education movement represented by Dewey. This progressive education movement attacked the formalistic teaching method of traditional education at that time, opposed children's activities centered on teachers and bound by textbooks, emphasized children's initiative and interest in learning, advocated the teaching method of "learning by doing" and advocated the spirit of "experiment". Mr. Chen appreciates this view very much. He learned from the correct and reasonable part of Dewey's educational thought, as Mr. Chen himself said: "The American progressive education advocated by Dr. Dewey, the most famous educator, has had a considerable impact on the formation of China's life education movement." [7] However, Mr. Chen's reference is not blind. He pointed out in the process of experimental research on early childhood education in his country: "We must know that our children are not American children, our history and our environment are different from those of the United States, and our national conditions are not unified with those of the United States; Therefore, what they regard as good is not necessarily good in our use. " "In short, the facilities of kindergartens should always adapt to the national conditions of their own countries. As for those textbooks and teaching methods that are common in the world, they can also be adopted. The only condition is that they do not violate the national conditions. " [8] In addition, Mr. Chen's educational investigation in Europe 1 1 countries also prompted him to make up his mind to conduct life education experiments in China. In July, Mr. Chen Heqin began a seven-month education inspection tour in Europe. He visited many new experimental schools, and discussed education issues with education experts from all over the world, which made him have a general understanding and overall grasp of education in all countries, and made him truly feel the source of "new education"-the new education in Europe, and saw the common characteristics of the development trend of education in the modern world, which is worth learning from in China. In particular, all countries pay attention to "doing" and cultivate children's practical ability and creative spirit, which has greatly inspired Mr. Chen and pointed out the direction for him to practice life education in China.

Mr. Chen Heqin received the support and help of Mr. Tao Xingzhi in the process of life education experiment. He especially appreciates and admires Tao Xingzhi's thought of "the integration of teaching and learning". Drawing lessons from Dewey's "learning by doing" and Tao Xingzhi's "teaching integration", Mr. Chen put forward the educational thought of "learning by doing and making progress by doing". However, both Chen Heqin's and Tao Xingzhi's thoughts are beyond Dewey's educational thoughts, and they are put forward on the basis of domestic education experiments, which are in line with China's national conditions.

Internally, Mr. Chen has been educated in private schools since childhood, and has a deep understanding of the disadvantages of traditional education in China. Even though the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and education made great progress, the teaching methods were still rigid, the center of school activities was still teachers, and the contents of textbooks were often far away from students' lives. Teacher Chen said: "They are mechanically and passively fed with limited so-called knowledge food, but in fact they are difficult to digest-they have no chance to get in touch with nature." As long as they read and write, they never ask themselves to think and do. It is in this context that living education plants seeds, takes root and sprouts, and bears fruit. " [9]

1940, teacher Chen went to Chongqing to attend the national education conference. When passing through Guilin, he wrote an inscription for Zhongshan School: "Teach lively books, teach lively books, teach lively books; [10] In April, he refused to stay in Chongqing as the director of the National Education Department of the Ministry of Education, saying that "he should do things instead of being an official" and returned to Jiangxi. In the spirit of "barren mountain paradise", he invited a group of people with lofty ideals to establish "Baoxi Provincial Experimental Kindergarten Normal School", which was realized by "living education" experiments. In fact, as early as the 1920s, Mr. Chen felt urgently that in order to realize the China and scientific preschool education, the training of preschool teachers should not be controlled by foreign churches, but must be trained by China people themselves. As early as 1928, he put forward "the plan of children's department needed by normal schools in all provinces", suggesting that "children's normal schools should be set up in places where the environment is suitable, or children's departments should be set up in normal schools in all provinces to train specialized personnel and supply teachers well. "[1 1] The establishment of Jiangxi Experimental Naive Normal School has taken this first step. That year, the concept of living education was determined and implemented: "Be a man, be a China person and be a modern China person", that is, teleology; Nature and society are living teaching materials, that is, curriculum theory; "Learning by doing, learning by doing and making progress by doing" is the methodology [12].

The monthly magazine Life Education, edited by Mr. Chen, was founded. The purpose of this publication is to establish educational theory, provide continuing education for teachers, provide specific teaching materials, discuss practical methods, and publish the article "Education for Living and Education for Death". Then he published the teaching principle of 17 life education: let the children do whatever they can; Children should be allowed to think whatever they want; If you want children to do something, you should teach them how to study. Encourage children to discover their own world; Positive encouragement is better than negative sanctions; Nature and society are our living teaching materials; Comparative teaching method; Improve learning efficiency by means of competition; Positive hints are better than negative commands; Alternative teaching methods; Pay attention to the environment and make use of it; Group learning and joint research; Teaching gamification; Storytelling of teaching; Teachers teach teachers; Children teach children; Accurate observation [13] 1942 "how to implement living education" was published in the monthly magazine "living education", summarizing the experience of implementing living education in the past two years.

Very long. Run schools for more children in China. During the period when 1 1 was in charge of the education department, all six primary schools attached to kindergartens, vigorously advocated various teaching experiments and teaching and research activities in primary schools and kindergartens, and still paid attention to the development of naive education, and compiled a series of children's teaching materials and extracurricular reading materials suitable for children: China was published in 193 1 Children's Education. The Lugouqiao Incident happened1July, 937. The China Children's Education Society held its seventh annual meeting in Beiping. Mr. Chen attended the Presidium to discuss preschool education, and insisted on leading southern comrades to detour back to Shanghai until the end of the meeting, which showed his concern and attention to preschool education. That year, How to Be a Parent and How to Educate Children was published in Radio Education Monthly. 1938 co-edited and published "Life Photo of Children in Nanjing Gulou Kindergarten" with Zhong.

Mr. Chen Heqin believes that in order to develop children's education, more people must be mobilized and organized to cooperate. He said: "the truth will only come out after careful consideration and discussion;" Scientific progress depends on cooperation. " "The more people on the spot, the better." [6] Under the guidance of this thought, he vigorously founded academic groups and publications on children's education. In the 1920s, he initiated and organized the infant education research society, and on this basis, he established the China Children's Education Society at 1929. By the 1930s, he had developed into the largest academic group on children's education in China, and edited such publications as Naive Education, Children's Education, Primary School Teachers, etc., and extensively exchanged experiences, expanded publicity and effectively promoted.

Third, the period when the theoretical system of life education was formed and the relatively complete system of preschool normal education was established (1939- 1949).

In China in the 1920s and 1930s, the economy was poor and backward, the people were destitute, people's lives were extremely difficult, science and technology were extremely underdeveloped, and education was also in an old and corrupt situation, copying foreign countries and stagnating. Preschool education is particularly prominent. In this regard, Mr. Tao Xingzhi pointedly revealed that kindergartens in China suffered from three diseases at that time, namely, foreign diseases, spending money diseases and having money diseases. Mr. Chen Heqin also seriously pointed out that "copying Japan today, copying the United States tomorrow, and copying from one place to another will not get any good education." Mr. Tao Xingzhi once summarized the old and corrupt education in old China as "teaching dead books, teaching dead people and teaching dead people". In view of the present situation of education at that time, Mr. Chen thought that he had the responsibility to change, and he was determined to turn this corrupt "dead education" into "progressive, lively and energetic education".

When Mr. Chen Heqin was young, he was influenced by the new educational thoughts in Europe and America. Especially influenced by the American bourgeois progressive education movement represented by Dewey. This progressive education movement attacked the formalistic teaching method of traditional education at that time, opposed children's activities centered on teachers and bound by textbooks, emphasized children's initiative and interest in learning, advocated the teaching method of "learning by doing" and advocated the spirit of "experiment". Mr. Chen appreciates this view very much. He learned from the correct and reasonable part of Dewey's educational thought, as Mr. Chen himself said: "The American progressive education advocated by Dr. Dewey, the most famous educator, has had a considerable impact on the formation of China's life education movement." [7] However, Mr. Chen's reference is not blind. He pointed out in the process of experimental research on early childhood education in his country: "We must know that our children are not American children, our history and our environment are different from those of the United States, and our national conditions are not unified with those of the United States; Therefore, what they regard as good is not necessarily good in our use. " "In short, the facilities of kindergartens should always adapt to the national conditions of their own countries. As for those textbooks and teaching methods that are common in the world, they can also be adopted. The only condition is that they do not violate the national conditions. " [8] In addition, Mr. Chen's educational investigation in Europe 1 1 countries also prompted him to make up his mind to conduct life education experiments in China. In July, Mr. Chen Heqin began a seven-month education inspection tour in Europe. He visited many new experimental schools, and discussed education issues with education experts from all over the world, which made him have a general understanding and overall grasp of education in all countries, and made him truly feel the source of "new education"-the new education in Europe, and saw the common characteristics of the development trend of education in the modern world, which is worth learning from in China. In particular, all countries pay attention to "doing" and cultivate children's practical ability and creative spirit, which has greatly inspired Mr. Chen and pointed out the direction for him to practice life education in China.

Mr. Chen Heqin received the support and help of Mr. Tao Xingzhi in the process of life education experiment. He especially appreciates and admires Tao Xingzhi's thought of "the integration of teaching and learning". Drawing lessons from Dewey's "learning by doing" and Tao Xingzhi's "teaching integration", Mr. Chen put forward the educational thought of "learning by doing and making progress by doing". However, both Chen Heqin's and Tao Xingzhi's thoughts are beyond Dewey's educational thoughts, which are put forward on the basis of domestic education experiments and conform to China's national conditions.

Internally, Mr. Chen has been educated in private schools since childhood, and has a deep understanding of the disadvantages of traditional education in China. Even though the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and education made great progress, the teaching methods were still rigid, the center of school activities was still teachers, and the contents of textbooks were often far away from students' lives. Teacher Chen said: "They are mechanically and passively fed with limited so-called knowledge food, but in fact they are difficult to digest-they have no chance to get in touch with nature." As long as they read and write, they never ask themselves to think and do. It is in this context that living education plants seeds, takes root and sprouts, and bears fruit. " [9]

1940, teacher Chen went to Chongqing to attend the national education conference. When passing through Guilin, he wrote an inscription for Zhongshan School: "Teach lively books, teach lively books, teach lively books; [10] In April, he refused to stay in Chongqing as the director of the National Education Department of the Ministry of Education, saying that "he should do things instead of being an official" and returned to Jiangxi. In the spirit of "barren mountain paradise", he invited a group of people with lofty ideals to establish "Baoxi Provincial Experimental Kindergarten Normal School", which was realized by "living education" experiments. In fact, as early as the 1920s, Mr. Chen felt urgently that in order to realize the China and scientific preschool education, the training of preschool teachers should not be controlled by foreign churches, but must be trained by China people themselves. As early as 1928, he put forward "the plan of children's department needed by normal schools in all provinces", suggesting that "children's normal schools should be set up in places where the environment is suitable, or children's departments should be set up in normal schools in all provinces to train specialized personnel and supply teachers well. "[1 1] The establishment of Jiangxi Experimental Naive Normal School has taken this first step. That year, the concept of living education was determined and implemented: "Be a man, be a China person and be a modern China person", that is, teleology; Nature and society are living teaching materials, that is, curriculum theory; "Learning by doing, learning by doing and making progress by doing" is the methodology [12].

The monthly magazine Life Education, edited by Mr. Chen, was founded. The purpose of this publication is to establish educational theory, provide continuing education for teachers, provide specific teaching materials, discuss practical methods, and publish the article "Education for Living and Education for Death". Then he published the teaching principle of 17 life education: let the children do whatever they can; Children should be allowed to think whatever they want; If you want children to do something, you should teach them how to study. Encourage children to discover their own world; Positive encouragement is better than negative sanctions; Nature and society are our living teaching materials; Comparative teaching method; Improve learning efficiency by means of competition; Positive hints are better than negative commands; Alternative teaching methods; Pay attention to the environment and make use of it; Group learning and joint research; Teaching gamification; Storytelling of teaching; Teachers teach teachers; Children teach children; Accurate observation [13] 1942 "how to implement living education" was published in the monthly magazine "living education", summarizing the experience of implementing living education in the past two years.

The connotation of education and the case of improving educational efficiency, and the case of suggesting that preschool education cadres return to the team according to their professional studies, strengthen scientific and technological research and improve work efficiency. Although Mr. Chen is in politics, he still loves and cares about preschool education.

1979 In his speech at the Second Session of the Fifth CPPCC National Committee, Mr. Chen said, "This time I took the opportunity of attending the Second Session of the Fifth CPPCC National Committee to put forward three proposals: 1. Restore or establish preschool teachers' schools in all provinces and cities across the country to train preschool teachers. Kindergartens and experimental primary schools will be restored or established in higher normal schools in various provinces and cities throughout the country as places for scientific experiments and systematic experience. 3 the establishment of children's toys, teaching AIDS, equipment research room and experimental factory. These three proposals have been reviewed by the Proposal Review Committee, and they are recommended to be submitted to the Ministry of Education for study and handling by the State Council together with relevant departments. "[19] was elected honorary chairman +0 1 at the inaugural meeting of the National Early Childhood Education Research Association in June, 1968, and delivered a speech. The speech puts forward the following suggestions on carrying out scientific research on early childhood education: First, we should take child psychology as the basis of early childhood education and conduct comprehensive, systematic and practical scientific experiments; Second, we should attach importance to the scientific experiment of children's family education; Third, carry out systematic and in-depth scientific experiments and research on kindergarten education to run a model kindergarten well; Fourth, we must attach importance to and solve the scientific experiment and manufacture of preschool toys and teaching AIDS, which is an extremely urgent and important issue. " Mr. Chen Heqin's three propositions and several suggestions have greatly promoted the rapid recovery and development of preschool education in China after the reform and opening up. 198 1 Mr. Chen, who is nearly 90 years old, also wrote an inscription for Children's Day on June 1st: "All for children, all for education and all for the four modernizations. In June of the same year 165438+ 10, he wrote an inscription for the publication "Zhejiang Early Childhood Education": "Love children, understand children, study children, educate children, and make them better than their predecessors. "This is not only an inculcation for all workers engaged in the practice and theoretical research of early childhood education, but also a reflection of Mr. Chen's love for children and his concern for children's education.

Mr. Chen Heqin devoted his life to children's education in China and China. It is our bounden duty to inherit, carry forward and develop Chen Heqin's early childhood education thought and contribute to the reform and innovation of early childhood education in China in the new period.