Incorporating the Promotion of the Spirit of Educators into the International Communication Discourse System

The 2024 National Education Conference [1]1 The 2024 National Education Conference was a high-level meeting convened by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in September 2024 to outline priorities for education reform and opening up. pointed out that it is necessary to deeply promote the opening up of education to the outside world, coordinate “bringing in” and “going global,” and continuously enhance the international influence, competitiveness, and discursive power of China’s education. The spirit of educators unique to China has profound implications and rich connotations, scientifically answering major questions such as what kind of teacher team to build and how to build it. Incorporating the promotion of the spirit of educators into the international communication discourse system and telling the story of Chinese education and Chinese educators well is a powerful measure for China to accelerate the construction of an educational powerhouse and advance the international communication of education.

2024年全国教育大会指出，要深入推动教育对外开放，统筹“引进来”和“走出去”，不断提升我国教育的国际影响力、竞争力和话语权。中国特有的教育家精神意韵深远、内涵丰富，科学回答了建设什么样的教师队伍、怎样建设教师队伍等重大问题。将弘扬教育家精神纳入国际传播话语体系，讲好中国教育故事、中国教育家故事，是我国加快教育强国建设、推进教育国际传播的有力举措。

The Significance of Promoting the Spirit of Educators for International Communication

弘扬教育家精神对国际传播具有重要意义

Education can become a common language for the world and has unique advantages in international communication. Only by doing a good job in the international communication of education and gaining broad international recognition for Chinese education can we deeply participate in global education governance and shape the discursive power of education.

教育可以成为全世界共同的语言，在国际传播中具有独特优势。做好教育国际传播工作，使中国教育得到国际广泛认同，才能深度参与全球教育治理，塑造教育话语权。

In today’s world, the trend of the times toward peace, development, cooperation, and win-win is unstoppable. Countries generally attach importance to cultivating talent and hope to seek development plans suitable for themselves through mutual reference and cooperation. At the same time, the influence of China’s education has been expanding in recent years. Relevant data from 2024 shows that China’s global soft power index has risen to third place in the world for the first time, with the “Education and Science” sub-index ranking third globally. [2]2 This refers to the Global Soft Power Index 2024 published by the British brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance. For a country that has achieved successful experience in education, science and technology, and talent cultivation, the international community will inevitably pay attention to how China builds a high-quality, professional teacher team and how it cultivates educators who have a significant impact on educational thought and practice within a certain period and scope.

当今世界，和平、发展、合作、共赢的时代潮流不可阻挡，各国普遍重视培养人才，希望在相互借鉴与合作中寻求适合本国的发展方案。同时，近年来我国教育的影响力不断扩大，2024年相关数据显示，我国全球软实力指数首次跃升至世界第3位，其中“教育与科学”单项指数列全球第3位。对于这样一个在教育、科技、人才建设中取得成功经验的国家，国际社会必然会关注我国是如何建设高素质专业化教师队伍，如何培养出对一定时期、一定范围内教育思想和实践产生重要影响的教育家。

Incorporating the promotion of the spirit of educators into the international communication discourse system, building platforms for international exchange and cooperation, telling the stories of Chinese educators well, and spreading the voice of Chinese education can sow seeds of friendship with China and mutual learning among civilizations in the hearts of young people around the world. This will win a comprehensive, broad, multi-level, and more proactive situation for China’s opening up in education, and also contribute more Chinese wisdom and strength to promoting the development of global education.

将弘扬教育家精神纳入国际传播话语体系，搭建国际交流合作平台、讲好中国教育家故事、传播中国教育声音，可以在世界青少年心中播下对华友好、文明交流互鉴的种子，为我国教育对外开放赢得全方位、宽领域、多层次、更主动的局面，也为推动全球教育事业发展贡献更多中国智慧和力量。

Precisely Refining the Content of International Communication on the Spirit of Educators

精准提炼教育家精神的国际传播内容

The spirit of educators has rich contemporary connotations, providing the possibility for precisely refining the communication content of the spirit of educators and incorporating its promotion into the international communication discourse system. It is necessary to improve the mechanisms for discovering educators and disseminating the spirit of educators, and precisely refine the content of international communication on the spirit of educators.

教育家精神有着丰富的时代内涵，为精准提炼教育家精神的传播内容、将弘扬教育家精神纳入国际传播话语体系提供了可能。要通过完善发现教育家、传播教育家精神的体制机制，精准提炼教育家精神的国际传播内容。

Improve the teacher honor system to lay a foundation of recognition for the comprehensive and three-dimensional promotion of the spirit of educators. The spirit of educators is lofty, but it can also be learned and practiced. Through the exemplary leadership of educators and educational collectives at different levels, more teachers can aspire to become educators, and the world can recognize that China has such a group of educators, dedicators, and pioneers who harbor the aspiration and ambition of “cultivating the field of education, strengthening the country with me.” [3]3 “Cultivating the field of education, strengthening the country with me” (躬耕教坛、强国有我) is a slogan used in Chinese education policy discourse to express educators’ dedication to national development. It is necessary to further improve the teacher honor system around the spirit of educators, establish a clear orientation, and at the same time, further unify and standardize the categories and levels of honors, increasing their authority and recognition.

完善教师荣誉体系，为全方位立体式宣介教育家精神奠定认同基础。教育家精神是崇高的，也是可以学习和践行的，通过不同层面的教育家和教育集体的榜样引领，可以让更多教师立志成为教育家，让世界认识到中国有这样一批胸怀“躬耕教坛、强国有我”志向和抱负的教育者、奉献者和开拓者。要围绕教育家精神进一步完善教师荣誉体系，树立起鲜明导向，同时，进一步统一规范荣誉类别和层次，增加荣誉的权威性、认可度。

Follow the principles of positive communication and comparative reference, and strengthen the planning and layout of international communication on education. The connotation of the spirit of educators includes multi-dimensional content such as faith and conviction, thought and theory, social responsibility, struggle spirit, moral sentiment, and professional competence. Under the premise of mainly positive communication, it is necessary to flexibly grasp the principle of comparative reference, strengthen the planning and layout of international communication, improve communication elements such as information sources, communicators, recipients, information, media, and feedback, and refine the thoughts, deeds, and achievements of educators suitable for external promotion and dissemination. This should be promoted through omnichannel media including the internet, newspapers, radio, television, books, audio-visual materials, and social media.

遵循正向传播、比较借鉴原则，加强教育国际传播规划布局。教育家精神的内涵包括信仰信念、思想理论、社会担当、奋斗精神、道德情怀、专业素养等立体多维内容，在以正向传播为主的前提下，要灵活把握可比较借鉴的原则，加强国际传播规划布局，完善信息源、传播者、受传者、信息、媒介和反馈等传播要素，提炼适合对外传播弘扬的教育家思想、事迹和成果，通过网络、报纸、广播、电视、图书、音像、社交媒体等全媒体渠道进行宣介。

Classify and refine communication content to achieve sustainable and systematic exploration of the spirit of educators. Looking back at the spirits of foreign educators that have been disseminated to China and have influenced China’s educational reform and ideological concepts, there are mainly theoretical influence types, such as Dewey and other educators committed to promoting the transformation of the education system and educational theory from tradition to modernity; theoretical-practical types, such as Sukhomlinsky, who “gave his whole heart to children”; and practical-innovative types, such as Rewi Alley, who founded the Shandan Bailie Vocational School in China and proposed “using hands and brains together, creating and analyzing.” [4]4 John Dewey (1859–1952) was an American philosopher and educational reformer whose ideas influenced Chinese education in the early 20th century. Vasily Sukhomlinsky (1918–1970) was a Soviet educator known for his humanistic approach. Rewi Alley (1897–1987) was a New Zealand-born writer and educator who lived in China and promoted vocational education. In the international communication of education, China should also classify and organize according to the characteristics of educators, extracting the most representative spirit of educators for dissemination. It is necessary not only to disseminate educational thought and theory with Chinese characteristics, the achievements of educational teaching reform, and the spiritual pursuit of strengthening the country through teaching, but also to promote the spirit of educators in educational exchange and cooperation practices such as international Chinese language education, educational aid abroad, and Luban Workshops. [5]5 Luban Workshops are Chinese vocational education training centers established abroad as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, named after the ancient Chinese craftsman Lu Ban.

分类提炼传播内容，实现教育家精神的可持续系统挖掘。反观由国外传播到我国，对我国教育改革及思想理念产生影响的国外教育家的精神，主要有理论影响型，如致力于推动教育体系和教育理论由传统向现代转型的杜威等教育家；理论实践型，如“把整个心灵献给孩子”的苏霍姆林斯基等；实践创新型，如在中国创办山丹培黎职业学校、提出“手脑并用，创造分析”的路易·艾黎等。我国在教育国际传播中也应当根据教育家特点进行分类整理，从中提炼出最具代表性的教育家精神进行传播。不仅要传播具有中国特色的教育思想理论、教育教学改革成果、强师报国精神追求，也要在汉语国际教育、教育援外、鲁班工坊等教育交流合作实践中弘扬教育家精神。

Systematically and Continuously Telling the Stories of Chinese Educators Well

系统持续讲好中国教育家故事

While precisely refining the content of international communication on the spirit of educators, it is also necessary to fully grasp the communication strategy and tell the stories of Chinese educators more systematically and continuously.

在精准提炼教育家精神国际传播内容的同时，还要充分把握好宣传策略，更系统、更持续地讲好中国教育家故事。

Overall shape the national image of education. China’s educators constitute a good image of national education—they integrate individuals into national development, presenting a collective image of sticking to their posts, uniting and cooperating, and working silently, exploring an educational path that adapts to China’s reform and opening up and Chinese-path modernization. In the international communication discourse system, it is necessary to overall shape the national image of education, focus on using vivid Chinese education stories as a carrier, comprehensively introduce China’s outstanding educational achievements, advanced educational systems, excellent educators, and the high-quality professional teacher team nourished by the spirit of educators, and promote the effective implementation of the dissemination of the spirit of educators.

整体塑造国家教育形象。中国的教育家们构成了国家教育的良好形象——他们将个人融入国家发展，呈现出坚守岗位、团结协作、默默耕耘的集体形象，探索出一条适应中国改革开放和中国式现代化发展的教育之路。在国际传播话语体系中，要整体塑造国家教育形象，注重以生动的中国教育故事为载体，全面介绍中国卓越的教育成就、先进的教育制度、优秀的教育家，以及教育家精神滋养的高素质专业化教师队伍，推动教育家精神传播有效落地。

Systematically promote the spirit of educators. While improving the quality of external communication of China’s educational content, it is necessary to enhance the media’s ability for precise and segmented communication, and pay attention to the acceptance methods and levels of students of different age groups in educational external exchanges. It is necessary to use the internet and social media, especially foreign social platforms, to build brands, “actively feed materials,” [6]6 “Actively feed materials” (主动喂料) is a term in Chinese media strategy meaning to proactively provide content to foreign platforms to shape narratives. expand the influence of the spirit of Chinese educators, and make understanding the spirit of Chinese educators a key for international friends to correctly understand China’s educational development.

系统宣介教育家精神。在提高我国教育题材内容对外传播质量的同时，要提升媒体的精准分众传播能力，在教育对外交流中注意不同年龄阶段学生的接受方式和接受程度。要利用网络和社交媒体，特别要用好国外社交平台，打造品牌、“主动喂料”，扩大中国教育家精神的影响力，将对中国教育家精神的了解作为国际友人正确认识中国教育发展的一把钥匙。

Continuously strengthen education “going global” and “bringing in.” Take promoting the spirit of educators as the main line to optimize the overall layout of international communication on education. It is necessary to promote education “going global” by optimizing paths such as the Belt and Road Initiative education actions, foreign educational aid, educational and cultural exchanges, educational research cooperation, educational brand export, and serving in international organizations, so that outstanding teachers can go abroad, effectively participate in global education governance, and let foreign people personally experience the spirit of Chinese educators. It is necessary to improve education “bringing in” and internationalization at home, strengthen work such as “Study in China,” Sino-foreign cooperative education, academic discourse leadership, and accepting visiting scholars, so that people coming to China can understand a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China and Chinese education. Ultimately, by promoting the spirit of educators, build a more effective international communication discourse system, better transform institutional advantages, organizational advantages, human resource advantages, development advantages, and cultural advantages into international communication advantages, and provide strong support for accelerating the construction of an educational powerhouse and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

持续加强教育“走出去”和“引进来”。以弘扬教育家精神为主线，优化教育国际传播的整体布局。要推动教育“走出去”，通过优化“一带一路”教育行动、对外教育援助、教育人文交流、教育科研合作、教育品牌输出、国际组织任职等路径让优秀教师走出国门，切实参与全球教育治理，让国外民众切身感受到中国教育家精神。要完善教育“引进来”和在地国际化，加强“留学中国”、中外合作办学、学术话语引领、接纳访问学者等工作，让来华人员了解真实、立体、全面的中国和中国教育。最终，通过弘扬教育家精神，构建更有效的国际传播话语体系，把制度优势、组织优势、人力优势、发展优势、文化优势更好地转化为国际传播优势，为加快建设教育强国、实现中华民族伟大复兴提供有力支撑。

(Author: Song Qiang, Associate Researcher at the Institute of International and Comparative Education, Northeast Normal University)

（作者：宋强，系东北师范大学国际与比较教育研究院副研究员）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧