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Constructivism and Teachers in Chinese Culture pp 9–23Cite as

Constructivism in Confucian Culture

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Abstract

Given the popularity of constructivist teaching and the recent attention on traditional culture, one may expect to find abundant research on Constructivism in Confucian culture. However, scholars have approached constructivist implementation in Chinese preschool and kindergarten contexts from culturally outsider perspectives and challenged the appropriateness of utilizing constructivism. Concerning the purpose of understanding why teachers in Chinese culture think constructivism is useful, this and the following chapters attempt to address the compatibility between constructivism and Confucianism. This chapter starts from a Chinese way of thinking as a foundation for culturally insider perspective and compares similarities and differences between constructivism and Confucianism. While the congruence serves as a basis for cross-cultural learning, the differences provide opportunities for adapting diverse ideas in a culturally meaningful way. Based on the analysis, this chapter proposes possibilities for cross-cultural learning today and examines practical challenges by reviewing The Guide (MoE, 2001) and its implementation. Discussions indicate that constructivism serves as a useful way to improve teaching and learning in Chinese preschool and kindergarten contexts.

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  1. Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Zitong Wei

  2. China Women’s University, Beijing, China

    Zitong Wei

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Wei, Z. (2019). Constructivism in Confucian Culture. In: Constructivism and Teachers in Chinese Culture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2691-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2691-2_2

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