Event Highlights: Launch of the Chinese Edition of NORRAG Special Issue 09 "Foundational Learning: Current Debates and Praxes"
On the morning of Monday, 30 June 2025 (9:00-11:00 BST), the launch event for NORRAG Special Issue 09: Foundational Learning: Current Debates and Praxes was successfully hosted by Dr Hu Yiyun, Associate Professor at Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE) of Beijing Normal University (BNU). The event brought together academics from multiple countries.
During this occasion, we introduced the ‘Speak in Tongues’ initiative – leveraging predictive AI technology to establish an educational platform centred on ‘mother-tongue expression’. This pioneering effort explores the potential for transcending language barriers and challenging dominant-language discourse, enabling education researchers worldwide to engage in unconstrained academic exchange. It further promotes regular cross-institutional and interdisciplinary dialogue, whilst consistently sharing the distinctive perspectives of BNU education scholars with the international community.
The event featured Professor Rajib Timalsina (Tribhuvan University, Nepal), a contributor to the English edition whose work also appears in the Chinese version. Professor Timalsina engaged in scholarly dialogue with Chinese counterparts including: Director Zhang Jurong (National Compulsure Education Teaching Reform Experimental Zone, Wujiang Office), Professor Gao Yimin (IICE of BNU), Professor Teng Jun (IICE of BNU) and Associate professor Hu Yiyun ((IICE of BNU)). Also present were IICE and Faculty of Education students involved in the special issue’s compilation.
First, Associate Professor Hu Yiyun, editor-in-chief of the NORRAG Chinese Special Issue, introduced the basic information of the special issue (including 12 articles from the original ninth issue of NORRAG and 2 original articles in Chinese), its theme, and the principles of soliciting contributions. Professor Teng Jun then introduced the historical background of the NORRAG Special Issue. Subsequently, during the keynote presentation session chaired by Professor Gao Yimin, the special issue team shared localized research findings: Chen Lei, a graduate student from IICE, and Huang Tianyuan from the Faculty of Education presented a literature review on the expansion of foundational learning objectives, the promotion of equity, and the reform of assessment systems. Principal Zhang Jurong, Director of the Compulsory Education Teaching Reform Experimental Zone (Wujiang, Jiangsu), used primary school Chinese language instruction as an example to elaborate on the integration of five key aspects—”precision, stability, timeliness, meticulousness and adaptability”—in classroom teaching of basic learning in the era of core competencies.
In the roundtable discussion on “Foundational Learning,” scholars from China and abroad engaged in in-depth exchanges: Professor Rajib Timalsina pointed out that the lack of contextualization in Nepal’s learning assessment standards and learning poverty are obstacles to reform, proposing that reciprocal communities facilitate knowledge transformation. Professor Teng Jun further explored the theory and practice of educational reform, arguing that education should play a unique role within social networks. Associate Professor Hu Yiyun focused on the orientation of basic learning, analyzing the contradictory yet unified relationship between individualized and socialized education. Principal Zhang Jurong emphasized the need for balance and boundaries between knowledge and context in educational practice, ultimately asserting that basic learning should be imbued with a humanitarian spirit, with serving humanity as its ultimate goal.
The session concluded following engaged discussion that provided significant theoretical and practical contributions to foundational learning scholarship.
2025 年 6 月 30 日，星期一上午 9：00-11：00，由我院胡昳昀副教授主持，多国学界同仁共同参与的 NORRAG 第九期中文特刊《基础学习：当前的辩论与实践》发布仪式暨第一届 “Speak in Tongues” 无界对话系列活动成功举办。NORRAG 创立于 1977 年，总部位于瑞士日内瓦，是一个全球性教育合作网络，尤其关注教育理论与实践领域的国际政策及合作。此外，本次中文特刊的发布也是教育学部发起的 “Speak in Tongues”的第一期活动。“Speak in Tongues” 活动以学部现有的 “全球连线” 项目为基础，借助大型预言模型人工智能技术，打造了一个以 “母语表达” 为特色的教育学术交流平台，旨在探索打破语言障碍、实现强势语言话语突围的可能，让世界各国富有思想的教育研究者能够不受语言限制，更自如地进行学术交流与对话，推动跨校、跨学科的常态化国际学术交流，向国际同仁学术持续展示北师大教育学人的思想洞见。
本次活动特别邀请了尼泊尔特里布文大学Rajib Timalsina教授, 国家义务教育教学改革实验区（吴江）办公室张菊荣主任，北京师范大学国际与比较教育研究院的高益民教授、滕珺教授和胡昳昀副教授，以及参与此次特刊编写的我院和教育学部的学生。
首先，NORRAG中文特刊主编胡昳昀副教授介绍了特刊的基本情况（包含NORRAG第九期原刊12篇文章及2篇中文特约文章）、主题与组稿原则；滕珺教授介绍了Norrag特刊的历史背景及“Speak in Tongues” 活动的意义。随后，在高益民教授主持的主旨报告环节中，特刊团队分享了本土化研究成果：我院研究生陈蕾和教育学部黄天媛汇报了关于基础学习目标拓展、公平推进与评估体系革新的文献综述；义务教育教学改革实验区（江苏吴江）办公室主任张菊荣校长则以小学语文为例，阐述了核心素养时代基础学习课堂教学中“稳、准、细、时、活”五方面的统一。
在特别设置的“基础学习”圆桌讨论环节，中外学者进行了深入交流：Rajib Timalsina教授指出尼泊尔学习评估标准情境性不足及学习贫困是变革阻碍，提出互惠社区利于知识转化；滕珺教授则进一步探讨教育变革理论与实践，主张教育应在社会关系网中发挥独特作用；胡昳昀副教授聚焦基础学习导向问题，分析了个体化与社会化教育的矛盾统一；张菊荣校长则强调教育实践中知识与情境需保持平衡与边界，最终指出基础学习应充满人道主义气息，以服务人为终极目标。
现场讨论气氛热烈，为推动基础学习研究提供了丰富的理论参考与实践指导。最后，胡昳昀副教授对本次无界对话活动进行了总结。会议圆满结束。