Feng Xiujun: Cultivate Deep Theoretical Foundations to Unleash the Educational Vitality of Ideological and Political Courses
On March 18, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium for teachers of school ideological and political theory courses (I&P courses), emphasizing that "the role of I&P courses is irreplaceable, and the I&P course teacher workforce shoulders a heavy responsibility." I&P courses bear the important duty of implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education [1]. They are highly significant and specialized courses, concerning the fundamental grand strategy of ensuring there are successors to the cause of the Party and the people, and profoundly affecting the correct direction and spiritual foundation of an individual's lifelong development. This type of course combines political, ideological, academic, and professional qualities, embodying the complexity and challenge of achieving an organic unity of "technique" (shu), "scholarship" (xue), and "the Way" (dao) [2]. The 15th Five-Year Plan outline emphasizes the importance of I&P courses, proposing to "fully implement the curriculum plan for university I&P courses in the New Era." On the new journey of the New Era, the construction of I&P courses faces new and higher requirements for connotative development [3]. The core of "conation" in connotative development lies in winning through quality; its foundation lies in convincing people through reason [4]; and its key lies in in-depth theoretical and pedagogical research.
Focusing on Core Tasks: Deepening the Foundation of Ideological and Theoretical Research
The essence of I&P courses is "speaking reason" (jiang daoli) [5]. The confidence to speak reason stems from a profound grasp and comprehensive possession of the truth. Thoroughness in ideology and theory can only come from in-depth research into those ideologies and theories.
Standing at the forefront of ideological trends, we must deepen research into the systematic and scholarly explanation of the Party’s innovative theories. Persisting in the synchronized advancement of I&P course construction and the arming of the Party with innovative theories—using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to cast the soul and nurture the person [6]—is the core task of I&P course construction in the New Era. It is also the basic principle for promoting the connotative development of these courses. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is rooted in the fertile soil of the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, possessing strong political and ideological character. Only by profoundly revealing the "reason" (dao), scholarship (xue), and philosophy (zhe) contained therein can we manifest the role of scientific theory in arming the mind. This is a process of further systematizing and scholarizing the theoretical innovation achievements formed by our Party in the process of promoting practical innovation. So-called scholarized and systematic research is the research process of sublimating specific experience into universal laws, extracting basic principles from vivid practice, and transforming political discourse into academic expression. It is also a process of further highlighting the thoroughness and truth of scientific theory. Only through in-depth, thorough, comprehensive, and systematic scholarly research and explanation can we guide students to profoundly grasp the core essence, spiritual substance, rich connotations, and practical requirements of scientific theory. This enables them to deeply understand "why it works," "why it is capable," and "why it is good" [7], greatly enhancing the realistic explanatory power and ideological penetration of scientific theory.
Cultivating the source of thought, we must solidify the basic skill of intensive study and reading of the classics. The deeper the theoretical tracing, the stronger the ideological explanatory power. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism; it is the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit of our times. It is the latest theoretical innovation of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and the theoretical crystallization of the integration of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture [8]. To teach its ideological essence accurately, deeply, and thoroughly, one must deeply cultivate the ideological sources found in classical Marxist works and the texts of fine traditional Chinese culture. On the one hand, only by placing the New Thought within the evolutionary process and historical context of the localization and modernization of Marxism can we clearly explain its theoretical character—originating from the same lineage as the basic principles of Marxism while advancing with the times. I&P course teachers should conduct intensive study of classical Marxist texts, grasp the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method, and solidify the scholarly support for theoretical teaching to highlight the academic depth and breadth of I&P courses. On the other hand, we must place the Party’s innovative theories of the New Era within the deep accumulation of over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, profoundly understanding its deep cultural genes and civilizational characteristics within the historical process of cultural inheritance and civilizational evolution. Only by strengthening research into the classics of fine traditional Chinese culture and clearly explaining the internal mechanism of "combining the basic principles of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture" can we effectively guide students to perceive the connotations of the classics and comprehend the charm of truth. This allows them to deepen theoretical identification through cultural identification and enhance path confidence through historical confidence, fully demonstrating the historical depth and cultural background of I&P course teaching.
Adhering to a Problem-Oriented Approach: Deepening the Foundation of Curriculum and Textbook Research
Curriculum materials are the basic basis for teaching, and their content is the transformation of ideological theory. Research into curriculum materials is an important prerequisite and foundation for the connotative development of I&P courses; the depth and effectiveness of this research directly affect the quality and results of teaching.
We must deeply study the internal logic of the curriculum and textbook system centered on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The "Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" is the key course for systematically teaching the innovative theoretical achievements of the Party in the New Era. We must deeply study the internal logic of this curriculum system, clarify the relationship between the general introduction and specific fields, and explore the construction of core course clusters to lay a solid foundation for the concentrated and systematic instruction of the Thought. We must deeply study the relationship between various courses and the "Introduction" textbooks from both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Horizontally, we must study how each course textbook supports the core content, using theoretical, historical, cultural, and practical education to solidify the foundation. Vertically, we must research the internal logic of a "spiraling upward" and "step-by-step" progression across different educational stages (undergraduate, master's, and doctoral), building a curriculum ladder that reflects the progressive ascent of ideological and theoretical learning.
We must deeply research the key and difficult theoretical problems within the textbooks. Focusing on the goal of nurturing people, we must promote the transformation of the "academic system" (xueshu tixi) into the "textbook system" (jiaocai tixi). The academic system is driven by the unknown and aimed at research, seeking to explore disciplinary boundaries, innovate research paradigms, and propose innovative discoveries; it emphasizes "originality" and "truth." The textbook system is centered on consensus and aimed at nurturing people; its task is to transform verified, consensus-based mature knowledge into teachable knowledge, emphasizing "certainty" and "consensus." The academic and textbook systems are closely linked yet have different focuses. The academic system focuses on the innovation of the knowledge and theoretical systems, while the textbook system emphasizes using the academic system to achieve pedagogical goals. Therefore, focusing on the core task of nurturing people and based on in-depth research of the knowledge and theoretical systems, we must follow the principle of organic unity between the academic system and the value system to promote the organic transformation of the former into the latter. This ensures that the construction of the I&P textbook system embodies the organic unity of "the Way," scholarship, and technique. To push the transformation of the textbook system into the "teaching system" (jiaoxue tixi), we must adhere to a problem-oriented approach, stay close to students' realities, and use key and difficult problems as a lead to promote the organic integration of theory and practice.
Understanding the Voice of Students: Deepening the Foundation of Pedagogy and Methodological Research
The relevance and appeal of I&P courses must ultimately be realized in the classroom. The improvement of classroom effectiveness depends on an accurate grasp of the "student situation" (xueqing), profound insight into educational laws, and continuous innovation in teaching methods. I&P teaching is creative work; we must break the cognitive misconception that "pedagogical research is not academic" and deeply study the dual logic of "teaching" and "learning" to achieve the leap from "content supply" to "value transformation."
We must deeply study the ideological characteristics and cognitive laws of young people to solidify the foundation of "student situation" research. "Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude" [9] and "determining teaching based on learning" are core educational concepts, and student situation research is the cornerstone of teaching. Facing young students growing up in the wave of Artificial Intelligence, we can only successfully walk the path of I&P courses "entering the heart" by deeply researching and accurately grasping the profound changes in the student situation driven by both generational shifts and the technological revolution. Young people in the New Era are born in the best historical period for building a strong country and national rejuvenation; they have active minds and a strong sense of subjectivity. However, in an environment where various ideological trends interweave and clash, they are also prone to ideological confusion. I&P teaching must be built upon scientific research into students' cognitive laws and reception characteristics, using scientific methods to capture their ideological "blockages," theoretical doubts, and emotional "pain points." At the same time, we should rationally use AI technology for learning behavior data analysis, moving from "experiential judgment" to being "data-driven," further promoting the "student-centered" teaching reform.
We must deeply study the laws of I&P education and teaching to promote innovation in pedagogy and master the laws of transformation from "knowledge to belief to action" (zhi-xin-xing). The goal of I&P courses is not knowledge transmission itself, but rather achieving value leadership and behavioral autonomy through knowledge transmission, guiding students from "truly learning" to "truly understanding," and then to "truly believing" and "truly using." I&P teaching cannot be stiff preaching; it must use heuristic education to guide students to discover, analyze, and think about problems, allowing them to reach conclusions naturally through continuous inspiration. We must recognize that the summary of educational laws serves the purpose of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground in teaching methods. We must promote the methodological transformation of "speaking logic deeply, thoroughly, and vividly." "Deeply" (shen) relies on deep theoretical cultivation; "thoroughly" (tou) relies on logical consistency; "vividly" (huo) relies on practical activation. We should focus on researching the mechanisms for transforming abstract theory into concrete narratives, grand narratives into micro-concerns, and the Party's innovative theories into the language of youth. Furthermore, we must consciously use digital and intelligent technologies to empower pedagogical innovation. Facing learners of the AI era, I&P courses need to actively embrace technological change, focusing on the organic combination of case-based, inquiry-based, and experiential teaching, so that students can absorb the power of truth in vibrant classroom settings.