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Among the current experimental education institutions in Taiwan, Daohe experimental education, also known as “Natural Way Children’s School”, holds Chinese culture and oriental aesthetics as its features, which is a very unique and meaningful. One of its founding concepts comes from the philosophical viewpoint of Wang Yangming, a Confucian scholar in the Ming Dynasty. This study is aimed at Wang Yangming's educational viewpoints and his teaching practices, making a comparative analysis with Daohe’s school-running philosophy and its unique programs.
This study starts with an introduction of Wang Yangming, the famous thinker and educator in the Ming dynasty. He lamented that the scholars at that time put more emphasis on profits and forgot the self-cultivation methods and spirits that Confucianism should attach importance to. Therefore, he proposed the educational concepts of "unity of knowing and acting" and "practice of intuitive knowledge". He inspired that learners' morality and cultivated their positive values through the implementations of simple and appropriate teaching methods and children’s education. He also passed on traditional thoughts and ideas through academies and lectures in the hope of changing the situation of society at that time.
Through the interviews, the founder explained that the school-running philosophy and basic curriculums planning of Daohe institution, which holds the core spirit of Chinese traditional Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism: “mean as virtue doctrine; nature as principle; and knowledge and action as one”. Therefore, the curriculum is divided into two categories, “shí xí” and “wu yü”. In addtion to, the cultivation of general basic learning skills, students also pay attention to the practice of the "Six Canons". Besides, through the solar terms of life, students’ life experience curriculum is planned. Under the influences of Chinese culture and oriental life aesthetics, students are expected to not only inherit Chinese culture classics, but also develop a sound and spiritual outlook on life viewpoint.
Next, such as four characteristic curriculums of Daohe experimental education, including children's philosophy, landscape science, aesthetics of tea ceremony and papermaking technology, are compared with Wang Yangming's children's education, landscape science, etiquette learning methods as well as with the Daoyi theory in Confucianism. This study is analyzed the similarities and differences between the two and pointed out the parts that can be learned.
At the end of the study, the difficulties encountered by Daohe institution, such as fund pooling, teachers’ training, and students’ way out, etc. are discussed. In addition, the suggestions are put forward based on Wang Yangming's educational viewpoints. It is believed that Daohe experimental education with Chinese cultural characteristics will continue to shine and heat, and that it will create a more brilliant landscapes for experimental education in Taiwan.
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