Reformers books urge new look at ways of teaching

Shih Ying (史英), reforming educationalist and chairman of the Humanistic Education Foundation (人本教育文教基金會, HEF) yesterday released his latest two books, collections of articles on his humanistic philosophy of education reform and his experiences in the field.

The two books, titled Ways to See, I (看的方法 I) and Short Essays on Education Issues, II (史說新語 II) published by the HEF, present the educational reformist's beliefs in humanistic and creative classroom education instead of what he says have been rigid and dogmatic teaching methods traditionally used in Taiwan.

"The books contain determined and fundamental concepts for promoting education reform," said Hao Kuang-tsai (郝廣才), writer and editor-in-chief of Taiwan's Grimm Culture publishing company, at a press conference marking the books' launch yesterday.

"These concepts are avant-garde and radical and are aimed at overturning the many conventional doctrines that are within the education system and school classrooms here in Taiwan," Hao said.

These kinds of books might not enjoy high readerships, but they are absolutely necessary to the process of reform," Hao said.

Sun Ta-wei (孫大偉), an eminent Taiwanese advertising executive, said, "Shih is a very determined character, and a devoted advocate of education reform, no matter what the obstacles or the criticism he encounters.

"He knows for certain that if education reform does not continue, our education system will ultimately head for a dead-end," Sung said.

In addition to being the chairman of the HEF, Shih Ying is also a consultant to the Ministry of Education's nine-year education reform project, which is aimed at removing rigidity and dogmatism from education methodology.

However, the former National Taiwan University mathematics professor is a controversial reformer, whose theories of "creative education" and principles to promote flexibility in the education system are not to everybody's taste.

"Pain and struggle are unavoidable during the process of reform, Shih said.

"But I feel gratified to know that the principles for a humanistic education are being gradually applied in our education system, as in the increased denunciations of corporal punishment; and in the increasing encouragement for teachers to develop creative teaching methods instead of using the hackneyed, rigid ways of the past," Shih said.

Vice President of Academia Sinica and former education minister Ovid Tseng (曾志朗) is also a fan of Shih.

"Shih taught me to believe in his ideals, and those ideals are actually universal values. Creativity is the power for all teachers to instill in their students," Tseng said yesterday.

"There shouldn't be any fixed or unchanged principles in education. It's not like a contract, in which all the terms have to be strictly adhered to.

"I hope that by publication of the book Ways to See, I more people will be inspired to reexamine creative education, " Tseng said.