News source: Central News Agency/Dongsenberg Sands Report
News link:https://www.thenewslens.com/article/87210

In the past, the various subjects in primary and secondary school timetables were clearly defined, but in the future the boundaries will be broken. The Ministry of Education released today (9th) the "Reference Principles for Implementing Cross-Field or Cross-Subject Collaborative Teaching in National Middle Schools and Primary Schools", making it possible to teach different subjects in the same class.

The Ministry of Education promotes the "Twelve Years of National Education" and loosens the teaching methods in primary and secondary schools. In the past, Chinese language classes could only be taught in Chinese language, taught from beginning to end by one teacher. However, in recent years, many schools have tried "collaborative teaching", which combines teachers from different subjects to prepare lessons, teach classes, design assessments, and use themed courses to catch students' attention and learn knowledge unconsciously during activities.

For example, Chinese language courses such as Chinese and English can be combined with art courses to allow students to rehearse a play in one semester. In the process of repeated rehearsals, students must memorize their lines, and the key points to be taught in Chinese courses are also deeply ingrained in their minds.

In order to provide a reference basis for collaborative teaching, the Ministry of Education today released the "Reference Principles for Implementing Cross-field or Cross-Subject Collaborative Teaching in National Middle Schools and Primary Schools." This principle belongs to the administrative guidance level, and local governments can further develop specifications tailored to local conditions.

This principle stipulates that collaborative teaching by teachers of two or more subjects must first be reviewed by the school's curriculum development committee, and the number of teaching hours for that class, regardless of how many teachers participate, will be counted at most 2 periods.

That is to say, if 2 teachers teach the same class of students, at most 2 periods will be counted, and each person will be counted as teaching 1 period; if 3 teachers teach at the same time, at most 2 periods will be counted. What is the number of teaching hours for each teacher? Calculations are discussed in school class meetings.

"China Times"According to reports, Wu Xiaoxia, head of the National Education Bureau of the Ministry of Education, said that after the implementation of the 12-year national education curriculum, flexible learning courses must be conducted in a thematic and topic-based manner. Therefore, cross-field (such as Chinese liberal arts and arts and liberal arts) and cross-subjects (such as history The teaching situation of subjects (such as subjects and geography) will be more common. How to calculate the teaching hours is an issue that teachers are concerned about.

Wu Xiaoxia said that after the universalization of collaborative teaching, many teachers may teach more than the prescribed 16 lessons per week, and schools must allocate hourly fees to cope with this. Wu Xiaoxia said that the school can pay for the extra hourly fees from the funds originally reserved for full-time posts, or it can ask the local government for help.

The key points can be seen from the Ministry of Education’s reference principles as follows:

[Point 4] The operation of cross-field or cross-subject collaborative teaching teams should include team members’ joint lesson preparation, teaching, learning assessment, after-class professional feedback and other related processes, and all members must have teaching experience; its type The status is as follows:

● Collaboration between two or more fields or across subjects: Members from two or more fields or across subjects teach together.
● Thematic collaboration: For a specific theme, organize members in related fields or subjects to teach together.
● Other forms that are in line with the spirit of cross-field or cross-subject collaborative teaching.

[Point 5] Collaborative teaching across fields or subjects should be undertaken by the following team members:

● Current principals of national middle schools and primary schools, full-time teachers and full-time teachers with part-time administrative positions appointed and employed in accordance with the Educational Personnel Appointment Act.
● Substitutes, agents and part-time teachers appointed in accordance with the appointment regulations for part-time substitutes and acting teachers in primary and secondary schools.
● Serve as teaching support staff part-time in accordance with the "Regulations on the Appointment of Teaching Support Staff in National Primary and Secondary Schools".

[Point 6] When team members conduct cross-field or cross-subject collaborative teaching that requires a planned number of teaching sessions, a separate curriculum plan should be submitted, reviewed and approved by the school curriculum development committee, and the school curriculum plan should be reported to the municipality, county (city) ) for government record.

[Point 7] When the curriculum plan is reviewed and approved by the school curriculum development committee, when the same class is taught by two or more members to the same class of students, the number of teaching periods for the class will be counted at most two periods.

[Point 12] The hourly fees for teaching sessions required by schools for cross-field or cross-subject collaborative teaching may be determined by the full-time posts reserved by each competent authority in accordance with the class establishment and staff establishment standards for elementary and middle schools. Supported by funds.