According to the unified arrangement of the Ministry of Education (MOE), the experts from ICI continuously participate in the revision of “the New Curriculum”. Invited by MOE, several experts from ICI have participated in the revision of Curriculum Plan and Standards of Compulsory Education since January 2019. ICIers continue to serve the top-level design of national curriculum reform, and promote the iterative development of “the New Curriculum”.

On April 21^st, 2022, the Ministry of Education officially issued curriculum plan and curriculum standards (16 subjects totally) of compulsory education (2022 version), and released expert interpretations from professor Cui Yunhuo, Hu Huimin, Wu Gangping, etc.

Transitions from Early Childhood Education and Care to Primary Education: from the Perspective of Curriculum Reform for Basic Education

Prof. Hu Huimin

ICI, ECNU

Experts of Comprehensive Group

Xu Chenying

Doctoral Student of ICI

Obstinate problems brought by curriculum reform of compulsory education, such as “overburdened schoolwork in primary and secondary schools” and “transitions from early childhood education and care to primary education”, have evolved into social problems.

Countries all over the world have done a lot of exploration to solve the problem of transitions from early childhood education and care to primary education. Two approaches tend to be adopted: the one is to put forward requirements on the phases of schooling; the other emphasizes the design of curriculum and relative plans to optimize the transition. The latter approach has increasingly been recognized on international stage.

In order to guarantee students’ appropriate transition from early childhood education and care to primary education, the new round revision of curriculum plan puts forward specific requirements.

First, primary schools should take measures to promote children’s adaptation, and take it as a part of lower-grade education.

Second, the curriculum and learning style of the first and second grade should be designed reasonably.

Third, focus on the evaluation of junior students’ development competency.

In addition, in order to better promote the transitions from early childhood education and care to primary education, the curriculum plan of compulsory education not only pays special attention to the convergence of school phases, but also makes efforts in the fields of comprehensive practical activities, school-based curriculum, etc. To be specific, design life-oriented, comprehensive, and activity-based curriculum for primary students in the first and second grade.

The new revision of curriculum plan stresses practice and the creation of situation, it is also suggested that learning methods, such as experiencing, cooperation, inquiry, performing, communication and so on, should be used to cultivate students’ core competencies.