Steadily Enhancing the Targetedness and Appeal of Ideological and Political Theory Courses

Ideological and political theory courses are the key courses for carrying out the fundamental task of fostering virtue and nurturing talent. Our Party has always attached great importance to the construction of ideological and political theory courses. Since the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to enhance the targetedness and appeal of these courses. In December 2016, at the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Enhance the affinity and targetedness of ideological and political education to meet the growth and development needs and expectations of students.” In March 2019, at a symposium for teachers of ideological and political theory courses in schools, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed, “To promote the reform and innovation of ideological and political theory courses, we must continuously strengthen their ideological, theoretical, and affinity dimensions as well as their targetedness.” In May 2023, while presiding over the fifth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Adhere to reform and innovation, advance the integrated construction of ideological and political education across primary, secondary, and tertiary schools, and enhance the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses.” In May 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the construction of ideological and political theory courses in schools, stressing the need to “uphold fundamental principles and break new ground to promote the connotative development of ideological and political theory course construction, and steadily enhance the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses.”

思政课是落实立德树人根本任务的关键课程。我们党历来高度重视思政课建设，新时代以来，习近平总书记多次强调要提高思政课的针对性和吸引力。2016年12月，习近平总书记在全国高校思想政治工作会议上指出，“提升思想政治教育亲和力和针对性，满足学生成长发展需求和期待”；2019年3月，习近平总书记在主持召开学校思想政治理论课教师座谈会时强调，“推动思想政治理论课改革创新，要不断增强思政课的思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”；2023年5月，习近平总书记在主持中共中央政治局第五次集体学习时强调，“坚持改革创新，推进大中小学思想政治教育一体化建设，提高思政课的针对性和吸引力”；2024年5月，习近平总书记对学校思政课建设作出重要指示，强调要“守正创新推动思政课建设内涵式发展，不断提高思政课的针对性和吸引力”。

The targetedness of ideological and political theory courses points to the precise alignment between “what is taught” and “what is needed” in the teaching of these courses. Specifically, it concerns whether, in the process of conducting ideological and political theory course teaching, one can teach students in accordance with their aptitude, apply the right remedy to the case, and act with a clear objective. The appeal of ideological and political theory courses is manifested in the ability, by relying on effective educational and teaching strategies and employing scientific and appropriate teaching methods, to stimulate in students a strong interest, psychological identification, and emotional recognition regarding the courses. Only when the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses are enhanced can students be willing to listen, remember, and apply what they learn, thereby improving the actual effectiveness of teaching. Therefore, the reform and innovation of ideological and political theory course teaching in the New Era must focus on solving the bottleneck problems that constrain their actual effectiveness, and the key lies in enhancing their targetedness and appeal.

思政课的针对性，指向思政课教学“所教”和“所需”之间的精准适配，具体而言就是在开展思政课的教学过程中，能否做到因材施教、对症下药、有的放矢。思政课的吸引力，体现为依托有效的教育教学策略，运用科学而恰当的教学方法，使学生生发出对思政课的浓厚兴趣、心理认同与情感体认。思政课的针对性和吸引力提高了，才能让学生听得进、记得住、用得着，进而提升教学的实效性。因而，新时代思政课教学改革创新要着力解决制约思政课实效性的瓶颈问题，关键在于提高思政课的针对性和吸引力。

1. Properly Grasp the Relationships in Three Aspects to Promote the Reform and Innovation of Ideological and Political Theory Courses

1、把握好三方面关系，推动思政课改革创新

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC proposed improving the mechanism for fostering virtue and nurturing talent and advancing the integrated reform and innovation of ideological and political theory courses across primary, secondary, and tertiary schools. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the development environment and overall ecology of ideological and political theory courses have undergone comprehensive and fundamental changes. The construction, reform, and innovation of these courses have been continuously promoted, yet they still face some difficulties and challenges. For example: the clash and ferment of various ideological trends affect, to a certain extent, the effective exertion of the leading power of ideological and political theory courses; the phenomenon of teaching “disconnection” existing within a certain scope affects the targetedness and actual effectiveness of these courses; teaching methods failing to keep pace with the times weakens their appeal. On the new journey of the New Era, the construction of ideological and political theory courses faces new situations and new tasks, and must demonstrate new vitality and new achievements. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on the construction of ideological and political theory courses are a systematic summary and high-level condensation of the experiences and laws of constructing these courses since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, providing the fundamental guidance and action guide for continuously enhancing the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses. To enhance the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses, one should properly grasp the relationships in the following three aspects to guide concrete practice.

党的二十届三中全会提出，完善立德树人机制，推进大中小学思政课一体化改革创新。党的十八大以来，思政课发展环境和整体生态发生全局性、根本性转变，思政课建设和改革创新不断推进，但仍然面临着一些困难挑战。如：各种思潮交锋激荡，一定程度上影响思政课引领力的有效发挥；一定范围内存在的教学“脱节”现象，影响思政课的针对性和实效性；教学方法未能与时俱进，弱化了思政课的吸引力。新时代新征程上，思政课建设面临新形势新任务，必须有新气象新作为。习近平总书记关于思政课建设的重要论述是对党的十八大以来思政课建设经验和规律的系统总结和高度凝练，为不断提高思政课针对性和吸引力提供了根本遵循和行动指南。提高思政课的针对性和吸引力，应把握好以下三方面关系，指导具体实践。

The organic unity of purposiveness and regularity. The dialectical unity of the purpose orientation and process tendency of educating people through ideological and political theory courses fundamentally affects the targetedness and actual effectiveness of the educational practice of these courses. What kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them are the fundamental questions of education. The clear purpose of cultivating a new generation capable of shouldering the great task of national rejuvenation, and the clear positioning of the key course for fostering virtue and nurturing talent, prescribe the direction of effort and the path choice for enhancing the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses. At the same time, the realization of educational goals is a systematic project requiring sustained and persistent effort. It is necessary to adapt to events, advance with the times, and innovate with the situation, follow the laws of ideological and political work, follow the laws of teaching and educating, follow the laws of student growth, and continuously improve work capabilities and levels. The construction of ideological and political theory courses for different educational stages, different majors, and different contents has its corresponding laws. The main problems to be solved, the phased goals to be achieved, and the breadth and depth of teaching content all differ. This provides specific leverage points for enhancing the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political theory courses.

合目的性与合规律性的有机统一。思政课育人的目的导向与过程趋向的辩证统一，在根本上影响着思政课育人实践的针对性和实效性。培养什么人、怎样培养人、为谁培养人是教育的根本问题。培养担当民族复兴重任时代新人的鲜明目的，立德树人的关键课程的明确定位，规定了提高思政课针对性和吸引力的着力方向和路径选择。与此同时，育人目标的实现是久久为功的系统性工程，要因事而化、因时而进、因势而新，遵循思想政治工作规律，遵循教书育人规律，遵循学生成长规律，不断提高工作能力和水平。不同学段、不同专业、不同内容的思政课建设有其相应规律，要解决的主要问题、达成的阶段性目标以及教学内容上的广度和深度各有差异，这就为提高思政课的针对性和吸引力提供了具体抓手。

The organic integration of grand narrative and micro-narrative. Ideological and political theory courses possess multiple characteristics, including political nature, ideological nature, theoretical nature, and value nature. Through close attention to individuals, society, the nation, and even the world, they form a composite system that unifies grand narrative and micro-narrative. Ideological and political theory courses should embed grand narrative within micro-narratives close to life, and place micro-narratives within the grand perspective of human society. They should delve into the actual lives of students, gain insight into their ideological trends, and use narrative methods that fit students’ concrete lives while also connecting with the general trend of the times to conduct theoretical dissemination, value guidance, and practical guidance for students. This allows students to grasp the world holistically through the organic interaction between the macro and the micro. By connecting history and reality, combining theoretical principles with practical situations, and deeply mining the materials most suitable for embedding principles and most capable of illustrating principles as auxiliary support for theoretical argumentation, students can profoundly understand “what it is” and “why it is so” through the organic integration of grand narrative and micro-narrative. They will not only “know what it is” but also “know why it is so” and even more “know why it must be so,” thereby comprehending the true essence of ideological value in the progression of understanding, thus giving theory a greater sense of three-dimensionality and depth.

宏大叙事与微观叙事的有机贯通。思政课兼具政治性、思想性、理论性、价值性等多重特征，在对个人、社会、国家乃至世界的密切关注中形成了思政课的宏大叙事与微观叙事相统一的复合体系。思政课要将宏大叙事寓于贴近生活的微观叙事之中，将微观叙事置于人类社会的宏大视野之内，深入学生生活实际、洞察学生思想动向，以贴合学生具体生活又勾连时代发展大势的叙事方式对学生进行理论传播、价值引领和实践引导，让学生在宏观与微观的有机互动中整体把握世界。通过将历史和现实贯通起来，把学理和实际结合起来，深度挖掘最适合嵌入道理、最能够说明道理的素材作为学理论证的辅助和支撑，使学生在宏大叙事与微观叙事的有机贯通中深刻领会“是什么”和“为什么”，既“知其然”又“知其所以然”更“知其所以必然”，在认识的进阶中体悟思想价值真谛，从而让理论更有立体感和纵深感。

The organic co-education of multi-dimensional synergy and multi-element coupling. Ideological and political theory courses have characteristics such as covering the entire cycle of student learning, integrating into all areas of student life, and guiding the entire process of student life. Therefore, it is necessary to actively explore educational methods and paths of multi-dimensional synergy and multi-element coupling. With the idea of “theory and practice complementing each other, online and offline forming a joint force,” a synergistic teaching space should be formed, where teaching themes lead multi-field operations and multi-form presentations, enriching and expanding teaching scenarios from multiple perspectives, dimensions, and fields. By stimulating students’ sense of participation, organically integrating rich online teaching resources with diverse offline exchanges and internships, in-class theoretical learning with out-of-class practical activities, and explicit teaching with subtle influence, the traditional “spoon-feeding fragmented” teaching model can be transformed into a “multi-element coupled” smart teaching model, creating a new pattern of “ideological and political theory course +” education.

多维协同与多元耦合的有机共育。思政课具有涵盖学生学习全周期、融入学生生活全领域、指导学生人生全过程等特点，因此要积极探索多维协同与多元耦合的育人方法与路径，以“理论与实践互为补充、线上与线下形成合力”为思路，形成以教学主题统领多场域运行、多形式呈现的合力教学空间，多视角、多维度、多领域地丰富与拓展教学场景。通过激发学生的参与意识，将线上丰富教学资源和线下多样交流见习、课堂内理论学习和课堂外实践活动、显性教学与潜移默化有机贯通，从而推动“灌输零散式”的传统教学模式向“多元耦合式”的智慧教学模式转变，打造“思政课+”育人新格局。

2. Methods and Paths for Enhancing the Targetedness and Appeal of Ideological and Political Theory Courses

2、提高思政课针对性和吸引力的方法路径

Teaching ideological and political theory courses well involves not only “technique” but also “scholarship,” and even more so “the Way.” The realization of “the Way” requires the support of “scholarship” and the application of “technique.” It is necessary to promote action through learning and to govern technique with the Way, so as to achieve “the subtlety of application lies in the unity of the mind.”

讲好思政课不仅有“术”，也有“学”，更有“道”。“道”的实现需要“学”的支撑以及“术”的运用，要以学促行，以道驭术，方能实现“运用之妙，存乎一心”。

Adhere to a problem-oriented approach, targeting needs with precise supply. The primary task of enhancing the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political courses is to resolve the contradiction between "what is taught" and "what is needed." It is necessary to adhere to a problem-oriented approach and strengthen problem awareness. Genuinely respond to students' ideological confusions, practical needs, and course expectations. It is necessary not only to focus on the capacity building of the teaching force on the "supply side" and the concrete presentation of teaching content, but also to pay close attention to the actual demands of student development on the "demand side," achieving a supply-demand linkage in ideological and political course teaching across different educational stages from primary school to university. It is necessary to adhere to the synchronous advancement of ideological and political course construction and the arming of the Party's innovative theories, using the globally recognized achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics as content support, and using fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture as the foundation of strength, to explain principles thoroughly, clearly, and vividly. At the same time, according to the physical and mental development characteristics of students at each educational stage, clarify the content differences of ideological and political course teaching, focus on grasping the key content points of the "demand side" of ideological and political course teaching at different stages, follow the laws of student growth and teaching, implement precise measures, and adopt teaching methods that align with students' actual thoughts, receptive capacity, and practical needs, thereby enhancing teaching effectiveness. Specifically, at the primary school stage, the focus should be on moral enlightenment, emotional enlightenment, and knowledge enlightenment, emphasizing introductory learning; at the middle school stage, the focus should be on consolidating students' ideological and moral foundations and improving political theoretical literacy, emphasizing experiential and common-sense theoretical learning, establishing correct value cognition and value orientation through the combination of everyday discourse and knowledge-based discourse; at the university stage, the focus should be on strengthening the sense of mission and responsibility as the main line, emphasizing theoretical and exploratory learning, guiding students to establish a sense of responsibility, helping students adapt to the process of socialization, and consciously shouldering the important task of the era of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

坚持问题导向，瞄准需求精准供给。提高思政课的针对性和吸引力的首要任务是解决“所教”与“所需”之间的矛盾，必须坚持问题导向，强化问题意识。真切回应学生的思想困惑、现实需求、课程期待，不仅要关注“供给侧”教师队伍的能力建设和教学内容的具体呈现，还要密切关注“需求侧”学生发展的实际诉求，实现大中小学不同学段思政课教学的供需联动。要坚持思政课建设与党的创新理论武装同步推进，以中国特色社会主义取得的举世瞩目成就为内容支撑，以中华优秀传统文化、革命文化和社会主义先进文化为力量根基，把道理讲深讲透讲活。同时，根据各学段学生的身心发展特征，明确思政课教学的内容差异性，着重把握不同学段思政课教学“需求侧”的内容重点，遵循学生成长规律、教学规律，精准施策，采用符合学生思想实际、接纳能力以及现实需求的教学方法，从而提高教学实效。具体而言，小学阶段要以道德启蒙、情感启蒙和知识启蒙为中心，侧重开展启蒙性学习；中学阶段要以筑牢学生思想道德观念基础、提升政治理论素养为中心，侧重开展体验性的、常识性的理论学习，在生活性话语与知识性话语的结合中树立正确的价值认知和价值取向；大学阶段要以强化使命担当为主线，侧重开展理论性、探究性学习，引导学生树立责任意识，帮助学生适应社会化进程，自觉肩负起实现中华民族伟大复兴的时代重任。

Innovate teaching methods, skillfully use language for vivid presentation. Ideological and political courses must innovate teaching methods, pay attention to modes of expression and the art of communication, convince with reason and move with emotion, tell more vivid stories, engage in more exchanges and interactions, provide targeted explanations to resolve doubts, and attract students to actively approach and automatically connect. Follow the logical path of "speech having substance, speech having reason, speech having emotion, speech having measure, speech having interest, speech having flavor," fully unleashing the immense power of ideological and political courses. Among these, speech having substance is the prerequisite. A targeted and appealing ideological and political course needs to have content, stories, and value. Therefore, it is necessary to explain theory and practice well, connect history and reality, and link domestic and international aspects. Speech having reason is the foundation. Facing real problems, good answers must be given. Only with academic research as support can one speak with depth, logic, and thought. Speech having emotion is the soul. The reason language can move students lies in its ability to touch their hearts; being moved leads to heartfelt engagement, enabling a heart-to-heart connection. Teachers of ideological and political courses must mobilize their own emotions, allowing the teaching language of the course to gain thickness by being imbued with deep feeling. Speech having measure is the timing and degree. The "measure" of teaching language means being precise about who to teach, what to teach, how to teach, and to what extent to teach, striving for precise implementation and appropriateness. Speech having interest is the key. In the teaching process, teachers must not only focus on content but also on the skills and art of expression, enabling students to truly be physically and mentally "present." By grasping rhythm, setting up suspense, etc., they should do a good job of discourse transformation and teach the course in a lively way. Speech having flavor is the ultimate goal. A good lesson should leave a lingering aftertaste. The "flavor" of an ideological and political course should include the flavor of truth, the flavor of culture, the flavor of history, and so on. Through engaging expressions, incisive analysis, penetrating summaries, and timely guidance, teachers of ideological and political courses should lead students into the hall of theoretical knowledge, freely enjoy the space of thought, experience the growth of mental enlightenment, and experience the process of spiritual enrichment, thereby better achieving teaching objectives.

创新教学方法，善用语言精彩呈现。思政课要创新教学方法，注重表达方式、传播艺术，以理服人、以情动人，多讲鲜活故事，多作交流互动，有针对性地释疑解惑，吸引学生主动靠近、自动连接。遵循“言之有物、言之有理、言之有情、言之有度、言之有趣、言之有味”的逻辑理路，充分释放思政课的磅礴力量。其中，言之有物是前提。一门有针对性、有吸引力的思政课，需要有内容、有故事、有价值。因此，要讲好理论与实践、贯通历史与现实、连接国内与国外。言之有理是根基。面对真问题，要给出好答案。只有以学术研究做支撑，才可能讲出深度、讲出逻辑、讲出思想。言之有情是灵魂。语言之所以能够打动学生，在于其能够触动学生的心灵，动情才能走心，才能以心换心。思政课教师要调动自身情感，让思政课教学语言因饱含深情而拥有厚度。言之有度是火候。教学语言的“度”即给谁讲、讲什么、怎么讲、讲到什么程度等都要精准，力求做到精准施策、恰到好处。言之有趣是关键。在教学过程中，教师不仅要注重内容，还要注重表达的技巧和艺术，让学生能够真正身心“在场”，通过把握节奏、设置悬念等，做好话语转换，把课程讲活。言之有味是旨归。一堂好课应是余味悠长的，思政课的“味道”应该包括真理的味道、文化的味道、历史的味道，等等。思政课教师要通过情趣盎然的表述、鞭辟入里的分析、入木三分的概括、恰到好处的点拨，将学生带进理论知识的殿堂，畅享自由思想的空间，开启心智启润的成长，体验精神丰盈的过程，从而更好地实现教学目标。

Strengthen practical experience, multi-dimensional collaboration for expansion, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement. In the New Era, ideological and political courses must create a new model of multi-dimensional collaborative three-dimensional teaching, forming a new paradigm of multi-element coupled teaching. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must make good use of the 'Grand Ideological and Political Course'." "Ideological and political courses should not only be taught in the classroom, but also in social life." The "Grand Ideological and Political Course" transcends the boundaries of traditional ideological and political education courses, closely integrating theoretical knowledge with the context of the times and practical activities, and running ideological and political education through all links and levels of talent cultivation, forming an educational pattern involving all personnel, the entire process, and all aspects. The "Work Plan for Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of the 'Grand Ideological and Political Course'" jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and nine other departments proposes adhering to open-door teaching of ideological and political courses, fully mobilizing the strength and resources of the whole society, building "grand classrooms," setting up "grand platforms," and building a "grand teaching force," etc., to comprehensively promote the construction of the "Grand Ideological and Political Course." Comparatively speaking, the theoretical speculation in classroom teaching is condensed and abstract, while the cognition brought by the unity of knowledge and action is more three-dimensional and profound. For example, revolutionary museums, memorial halls, and Party history museums are the red gene pool of the Party and the country, containing rich ideological and political resources and providing substantial spiritual nourishment. Ideological and political courses should organically combine the small classroom of ideological and political education with the big classroom of society, guiding students to find answers to problems in practice. This not only realizes the extension and expansion of teaching space, allowing students to obtain rich and vivid teaching resources from real-life scenarios, but also transforms students' learning methods from passive listening to active observation and interactive sharing, allowing students' abilities to be tempered and improved in practice, and strengthening their sense of identity and sense of gain in practice. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate more diverse and open "Grand Ideological and Political Course" resources, construct a collaborative and integrated "Grand Ideological and Political Course" mechanism, and gather the synergy of the "Grand Ideological and Political Course" that penetrates all domains, so that multi-dimensional classrooms complement each other, better release the effectiveness of ideological and political education, and continuously enhance the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political courses.

强化实践体认，多维协同扩优提质。新时代思政课要创设多维协同的立体教学新模式，形成多元耦合教学新范式。习近平总书记指出：“‘大思政课’我们要善用之。”“思政课不仅应该在课堂上讲，也应该在社会生活中来讲。”“大思政课”超越传统思想政治教育课程界限，将理论知识与时代背景、实践活动紧密结合，将思想政治教育贯穿到人才培养的各个环节、各个层面，形成全员、全程、全方位的育人格局。由教育部等十部门共同印发的《全面推进“大思政课”建设的工作方案》提出，坚持开门办思政课，充分调动全社会的力量和资源，建设“大课堂”、搭建“大平台”、建好“大师资”等，全面推进“大思政课”建设。相较而言，课堂教学的理论思辨凝练抽象，知行合一带来的认知更为立体深刻。例如，革命博物馆、纪念馆、党史馆等是党和国家的红色基因库，蕴藏丰富的思政资源，能够提供厚重的精神滋养。思政课要将思政小课堂与社会大课堂有机结合，引导学生在实践中找寻问题的答案，既实现教学空间的延伸与拓展，让学生从现实场景中获取丰富鲜活的教学资源，也使学生的学习方式由被动听讲变为主动观察和互动分享，让学生的能力在实践中得到锤炼与提升，使其认同感和获得感在实践中得到强化。因此，应整合更加多样开放的“大思政课”资源，构建协同一体的“大思政课”机制，汇聚全域融通的“大思政课”合力，使多维课堂相得益彰，更好释放思政育人效能，不断提高思政课的针对性和吸引力。

(The author is a researcher at the Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics)

（作者系江苏省习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员、南京航空航天大学教授）

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