Beyond Rote-Memorisation: Confucius' Concept of Thinking

作者：Tan Charlene^*

来源：Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2015, 47(5): 428-439.

DOI：10.1080/00131857.2013.879693

• thinking
• education
• rote-memorisation
• Confucius

Confucian education is often associated with rote-memorisation that is characterised by sheer repetition of facts with no or little understanding of the content learnt. But does Confucian education necessarily promote rote-memorisation? What does Confucius himself have to say about education? This article aims to answer the above questions by examining Confucius' concept of si (thinking) based on a textual study of the Analects. It is argued that Confucius' concept of si primarily involves an active inquiry into issues that concern one's everyday life, promotes inferential thinking, and facilitates self-examination. Far from advocating rote-memorisation, Confucius highlights the need for us to take ownership of our own learning, engage in higher order thinking, and reflectively apply the lessons learnt in our lives.

• 出版日期2015-4-16
• 单位南阳理工学院