How to achieve "excellence in research and learning" (decoding and focusing on summer life), and standardize the management and life of "research and learning tours"

The picture shows the Zaozhuang Museum in Shandong Province, where children experience the restoration of cultural relics.

Photo by Sun Zhongzhe

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Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles. The increasing popularity of research and learning practices in recent years has ushered in a peak season during the summer. As an innovative form of connection between school education and extracurricular education, research-based practice can not only broaden students' horizons and broaden their horizons, but also promote the integration of textbook knowledge and life experience. The increasingly growing market demand has also put forward higher requirements for the standardized operation and content improvement of research and learning practice.

In recent years, research tours with the theme of "reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles" have been widely popular, including exploring historical sites, exploring mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, and visiting well-known universities. Entering the summer season, the study tour is also in its peak season.

Not long ago, the General Office of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Building a Quality and Balanced Basic Public Education Service System", proposing to "strengthen labor practice, extracurricular activities, research and learning practice, science popularization education bases, and the construction of family education guidance service centers, parent schools, and service stations", with research and learning practice bases among them. Previously, the Ministry of Education and 11 other departments issued the "Opinions on Promoting Research Study Travel for Primary and Secondary School Students", which pointed out that research study travel is an extracurricular educational activity that combines research-based learning and travel experience. It requires various regions to combine reality and promote the organic integration of research study travel and school curriculum.

As an innovative form of connection between school education and extracurricular education, research and learning practice can enable students to gain insights and gain new knowledge in the "walking classroom". The increasingly growing market demand has also put forward higher requirements for the standardized operation and content improvement of research and learning practice.

Featured research and learning, just the right time

"How to achieve a vacuum environment?" "How can the space station be sustainably maintained?" At the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan, hundreds of teachers and students from Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang are conducting a "space exploration" summer camp. Teachers and students not only visit key research venues such as the integrated testing hall and electromagnetic compatibility laboratory, but also participate in activities such as science popularization lectures and space experiments.

This is a research activity sponsored by the Space Application Engineering and Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and undertaken by Hangzhou Gongshu District Youth Activity Center. Students will go to Wenchang Aerospace Launch Site in Hainan and Beijing New Technology Base in batches to visit and learn up close. During the activity, many researchers and doctoral students from the Center for Space Application Engineering and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences answered questions for students.

"The activity aims to cultivate the innovative spirit and practical ability of young people, planting the seeds of exploring the vast stars in their hearts." Shi Hanyi, Deputy Director of the Education Bureau of Gongshu District, said that through cooperation with professional institutions, the quality and level of research content can be effectively improved.

Zhang Yang, Deputy Researcher at the Industry Research Institute of the China Academy of Tourism, introduced that study tours are divided into route based and base camp based products, which can be further divided into science, red, cultural and museum, industry, etc. according to the theme.

At present, many units with research and learning conditions and advantages, based on their strengths, independently carry out corresponding research and learning activities, thereby forming a high-quality product supply market.

Qufu, Shandong Province has innovated its research and learning tourism model, explored new formats of "culture+education+tourism", and developed more than 10 distinctive research and learning routes, including "following Confucius to study abroad". As of now, the city has received 800000 research and learning tourists, exceeding the level of the same period in 2019.

In recent years, Zhejiang Dongyang Hengdian Film and Television City has built more than 20 research and learning bases, including the National Defense Science and Technology Park, the Red Army Long March Expo City, and the Yuanming New Park Scenic Area. The professional research and learning mentor team has exceeded 300 people. "We have fully utilized the film and television resources in Hengdian and developed multiple film and television courses such as" The Birth of a Film "and" Entering the Film "." Zhou Wei, the head of a research and learning company in Hengdian, said.

"Large scale and strong research institutions can leverage their existing advantages to continuously enhance product competitiveness. Striving to improve their internal skills and fulfill social responsibilities is the key to achieving high-quality development of the research market," said Cai Ning, Vice Dean of the Institute of Public Policy at Zhejiang University.

Research leads to thinking and learning leads to achievement

Gaining something is the essence of graduate studies, and it is also the expectation of parents and students. What kind of graduate school can meet expectations?

"As a parent, I hope to broaden my children's horizons and broaden their horizons through the 'walking classroom' of study tours," said Su Shiqian, a parent of students at Qufu Confucius School.

"A gentleman is honest and straightforward, while a petty person is full of worries. During this study tour, I learned a lot about the Analects of Confucius and learned many principles of interpersonal relationships..." This is a study diary written by Kong Xinyan, a sixth grade student at Qufu Confucius School.

"Graduate studies are not only a form of education, but also reflect the concept of comprehensive development, which is beneficial for students to improve their self-management level and enhance their comprehensive abilities," said Cheng Zhaojian, the principal of Qufu Confucius School.

In the view of Professor Zhang Chaozhi from the School of Tourism at Sun Yat sen University, research-based learning allows education to enter real-life scenarios. "Through situational, heuristic, and experiential learning, it stimulates students' interest in exploring the unknown world, motivates them to actively learn, and promotes the integration of textbook knowledge and life experience."

So, how to scientifically set up research tour activities? The key lies in curriculum design and teaching content development. "We should fully leverage the advantages of regional culture, pay attention to the relevance of curriculum and textbooks, and the professionalism of content, improve the comprehensive quality of instructors, and enable students to gain something," said Cheng Zhaojian.

Not only should there be distinctive research courses, but also a stable and professional team of mentors. Regarding this point, Yu Xiaohua, Deputy Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Hefei City, Anhui Province, deeply shares the same feeling. "Unlike ordinary tourism, research-oriented education should provide targeted teaching guidance for children."

"High quality research and learning products should have both educational attributes and tourism experiences, integrating knowledge, science, experience, and educational psychological laws into the products." Zhang Yang said that for this reason, parents and children should choose institutions with formal qualifications and projects with good reputation, and choose matching products based on their own consumption ability.

Standardizing standards and promoting healthy development

At present, while the graduate school market is thriving and developing, some parents have also reported that some graduate school trips have problems such as arbitrary pricing, safety issues, incomplete qualifications, and travel without learning.

The 5-day study tour to Xi'an costs 6080 yuan for the child, which is not as rewarding as taking him on a trip before. Recently, parents living in Beijing silently invited their child to participate in a study tour, but the actual situation was far from what was advertised.

Zhang Hua, who has been working in the tourism industry for decades, said, "Some study tours under the guise of 'study tours' are priced 2-3 times higher than regular tour groups." Some study institutions also cooperate with small and informal travel agencies to outsource projects, making it difficult to guarantee quality and experience.

In the view of industry insiders, the healthy development of the graduate market cannot be separated from the sound industry norms and the cultivation of professional talents. Last year, the profession of research travel instructor was added to the Occupational Classification Code of the People's Republic of China Occupational Classification Dictionary. Further demonstration and practice are needed to determine what kind of training a study tour guide should receive, what qualities they possess, and how to obtain qualifications.

Currently, some places have gradually begun to provide more detailed supervision and guidance on research travel. For example, Qufu City in Shandong Province has formulated the Implementation Plan for Promoting Research and Learning Travel in Primary and Secondary Schools, established and improved relevant evaluation and assessment mechanisms, and required schools to ensure the safety and effectiveness of research and learning activities. "Schools can provide specialized research and learning training to enhance teachers' knowledge and skills in research design and organization, risk management, team collaboration, and other aspects, ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and sustainability of activities," said Chu Yanli, Deputy Mayor of Qufu City.

In order to further standardize the quality of research and learning, the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, in conjunction with the Education Bureau, conducted on-site inspections of the research and learning routes, and requested the mentors of the research and learning base to demonstrate the research and learning courses on site. Taking the hometown of Mingchuan in Hefei as an example, the study base not only combines Liu Mingchuan's heroic deeds to design and develop a complete set of study courses with patriotic education characteristics, but also incorporates surrounding rural areas into the study tour route, combined with the theme of rural revitalization, to expand and enrich the content of study.

"In the conceptual conception, project operation, product design, curriculum research and development, marketing promotion, and base operation management of research and learning travel, multiple efforts are still needed to jointly promote the high-quality development of the research and learning market." Zhang Yang said that currently, the quality of research and learning products is constantly improving, and curriculum development is becoming increasingly professional. "We look forward to the participation of schools, teachers, and more professionals to help children gain better systematic knowledge and travel experiences."