An Exploration of a New Relationship Between Teaching and Learning and Its Application to Classroom Teaching in China
Keywords:
Behaviorism, Constructivism, Teacher-centered pedagogy, Learner-centered pedagogyAbstract
China is currently in the stage of compulsory education reform, where primary education has been developing rapidly and leading the way in academic achievement over the decade. However, the application of different pedagogies to classroom teaching has been regarded as a controversial issue in the related field over the years. The teacher-centered pedagogy evolved from behaviorism proposed by Skinner emphasizes students benefit more from the behavior of external stimulation while constructivism advocates learners-centered pedagogy that stresses children’s internal cognitive process based on the theories of the more knowledgeable other (MKO) and zone of proximal development (ZPD). The purpose of this paper is to explore a new relationship that strives to balance the proportion of the two teaching methods through an extensive review of literature related to the context of the current status and problems of primary school education in China.
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