“找课本茬”背后是平等的学习姿态******
用一副三角板能画出多少度数的角?“除了30度、45度、60度、75度……应该还有165度!”据极目新闻报道,四川成都两名四年级学生米之贤、廖钧宇发现课本上一道数学题参考答案“有问题”,自己找到的一个答案不在参考答案中,他们给教材编写组发去了邮件。编写组回信肯定了两名小学生的探究精神和严谨态度,表示要在教材修订中采纳他们的建议。
类似“找茬”“挑刺”且成功的例子,并不鲜见。2021年秋,沈阳七年级学生崔宸溪指出英语课本上蜜蜂配图配成了食蚜蝇,出版社编辑为他点赞;当年10月,上海小学生吴叶凡发现美术课本上的“树叶”应该是数亿年前的古生物“海百合”,出版社第一时间将错误进行溯源并上报修订……
出版社虚心接纳意见的坦诚固然值得肯定,但这些中小学生敏于思考、敢于质疑的探究精神更难能可贵。面对权威的课本,这些学生不盲从,不盲信,是其所是,非其所非,坚定地表达己见,展现出新时代中小学生积极主动求知求真的价值认定。
尽信书不如无书。中小学课本“千锤百炼”,经过诸多专家之手,当然经得起各种推敲,也比其他读物更精准、更标准,但这并不意味着课本就完美无缺、无可挑剔了。中小学生每天与课本生活在一起,当然最熟知课本的角角落落。很多时候,即便发现问题,一些学生也没有选择发出质疑,这恐怕仍与当下部分中小学过于格式化的教育方式有关。
我早年曾经做过三年中学语文老师,每每困惑于如何协调学生鲜活的认知与课本刻板答案之间的关系。我并非不知道,学生多一些深入思考,多一些触类旁通,多一些路径方法,更能打开他们的思维,但在应试考试的“硬杠杠面前”,很多时候只能收敛起来、压制回去。表现在行动上,就是把学生们的注意力聚拢到记诵上来,“背会就行了”“答案要标准”,久而久之,这种做法就会变得模式化,最终浓缩为成绩单上的数字。
这当然是一种让步,乃至退步,其后果,往往会在学生未来的生涯中一点点呈现。当一茬茬学生走出校门,进入更高的学府,乃至走上社会,不少人都表现出一个共同的特点,就是不会提问,只会照办。尽管我们不能、也不应该把这个结果完全归因于当初的压制质疑,但至少,当下的教育中,应该容得下孩子们表达自己的质疑。
此外,学生不去质疑,或者很少质疑,也与传统社会强大的因循习惯有关系。课本代表着权威,课本就是标准,这类意识往往会持续削弱大家的质疑精神。敬惜字纸也好,尊重老师也好,在很多地方、很多时候,这些观念都在无形中过滤着不同的声音。如果学生总想着从课本的纸缝中找出一些问题,难免不会被视为是“有意找茬”。
必须认识到,“找课本的茬”,就是一种在问题意识中学习知识的绝好路径。凡事破中有立,问题意识多了,必然会逼迫你去寻求答案,探索路径。这种钻研、探究、严谨的精神,就是创新创造的开始。
一方面,这会打破制式化标准模式,让学生从固化思维的桎梏中解脱出来,尝试去寻求不一样的路径和办法,看到不一样的风景。比如,从产生问题意识开始,发展发散思维,找到学习的方法,融会贯通、上下求索,一步步把课本读“薄”读透;又如,大家都来提问题,也会形成一种智力上的砥砺和激荡,这本身就是思想火花得以发生的基础。
另一方面,这也会产生某种超越的心理体验,由知识超越抵达价值超越,而这种超越,对于一个崭新的灵魂而言,至关重要。毕竟,课本只是一座知识的桥梁,大家可以凭借它摆渡,但却不必过度依赖它,更不能迷信崇拜它。如此,才能形成一种科学的求知精神。
无论如何,学习的过程,可能需要一定程度的知识灌输,以吸纳更多新知,但这不意味着学生要全盘接受。在这个过程中,学习者从姿态上是平等的,唯有时时保持求真的敏感,才能真正窥见通往新知的门径。
龙之朱 来源:中国青年报
中新网评:美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后,美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕,众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录,将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图:美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素,众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中,美国民主党议员继续抱团,多轮投票中,一票不投麦卡锡,共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折,除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外,与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面,共和党党内反对者认为,麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱,无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府,另一方面,因为共和党的多数优势微弱,党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大,有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外,党内反对者也认为,自己的选票没有换取更多利益,希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步,比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物,众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任,选举几乎没有悬念。然而,麦卡锡此次为当选,不得不做出多个关键让步,其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制,使得众议长的权力被削弱,难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称,麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步,这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下,党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上,美国两党相互拆台,陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内,也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系,相互对抗,选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举,“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈,长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力,其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病,美国所谓的“民主”形象,让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举,变成了政客们利益置换的游戏,进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能,不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)