Making Ideological-Political Course Teaching More Attractive and Engaging

The ideological-political course is a bridge connecting teachers and students, and a vehicle through which teaching content is integrated with the real world; the key to the ideological-political course’s ability to move students and exert an educational effect lies in innovation in the teaching discourse system and the ideological penetrating power of discourse. How to construct an ideological-political course teaching discourse system that is both thoughtful and warm? How to make the ideological-political course attractive and engaging? This is a systematic project of teaching reform, requiring a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of all constituent elements of discourse—its subject, content, vehicle, expression and methods, and orientation—so that it is both scientific and ideological, and reflects timeliness. Professor Li Xia’s new book, *Research on the Innovation of the Teaching Discourse System for Ideological-Political Courses in Higher Education Institutions*, published by China Social Sciences Press in April 2024, offers new explorations and contributions to ideological-political course teaching.

思政课是连接教师和学生的桥梁，是教学内容与现实世界贯通的载体；思政课要能打动学生，发挥教育作用，关键是教学话语体系创新、话语有思想穿透力，如何构建有思想、有温度的思政课教学话语体系？如何让思政课有吸引力和感染力？这是一项教学改革的系统工程，需要对话语的主体、内容、载体、表达及其方法、面向等各种构成要素进行全方位的深入分析，使之既有科学性，又有思想性，体现时效性。2024年4月由中国社会科学出版社出版的李霞教授新著《高校思政课教学话语体系创新研究》，在思政课教学有新的探索和贡献。

The book focuses on the teaching discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions. Centering on the themes of “who should teach ideological-political courses in higher education institutions, what kind of ideological-political courses should be taught, and how to teach them well,” and based on an accurate grasp of the current state of the discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions and a profound assessment of the direction of innovation, it takes “ideological content, theoretical depth, affinity, and targetedness” as the goals of discourse system innovation. These four aspects are interrelated and deeply interactive, bridging the starting point and the target process, and together constitute the core essence of innovation in the teaching discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions.

该书聚焦高校思政课教学话语体系，围绕高校应该“谁来讲思政课，讲什么样的思政课，怎样讲好思政课”的主题，基于对当前高校思政课话语体系现状的准确把握和对创新方向的深刻研判，把“思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”作为话语体系创新的目标，使这四个方面相互关联、深度互动，打通起点和目标过程，共同构成高校思政课教学话语体系创新的核心要义。

The book conducts an in-depth analysis of the goal orientation in constructing the teaching discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions, and specifically interprets the essential requirements of each discourse goal. In ideological-political course teaching, ideological content is the soul, with the goal of transmitting mainstream ideology, embodying the unity of value and knowledge; theoretical depth is the foundation of teaching, with the goal of displaying the charm of Marxist theory, providing students with viewpoints and methodological bases for analyzing and solving problems, embodying the unity of political orientation and academic rationality; affinity is a condition, with the goal of enhancing the attractiveness and engaging power of teaching discourse, embodying teaching discourse’s closeness to reality, response to the questions of the times, and proximity to students’ real lives, embodying the unity of theory and practice; targetedness addresses problems, by grasping students’ ideological pulse, identifying the entry points and focal points of teaching, improving the effectiveness of teaching discourse, embodying the unity of teacher leadership and student subjectivity. Based on a survey study of college students’ requirements for ideological-political course teaching discourse and a typical analysis of the teaching discourse of model open classes taught by special prize-winning teachers, the author distills the “six musts and six haves” requirements for ideological-political course teaching discourse in higher education institutions: thought must be distinct, theory must be thorough, content must be rich, problems must be clear, expression must be clear, language must be fashionable; argumentation must have logic, culture must have depth, reality must have attention, hot topics must have a grasp, needs must have understanding, characteristics must have mastery. At the same time, the book also analyzes some problems existing in the construction of the teaching discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions, including the pluralistic impact of social trends of thought eroding mainstream discourse and undermining the ideological content of teaching, the fragmentation of online information weakening the theoretical depth of teaching, the homogenization of teaching discourse affecting the affinity of teaching, and the abstraction of teaching discourse drowning out the targetedness of teaching, among others. On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the problems and their causes, with the goal of improving the effectiveness of teaching discourse, the author proposes a discourse innovation path oriented toward the goals of “ideological content, theoretical depth, affinity, and targetedness,” including implementing the “student-centered” teaching philosophy, constructing a “theoretical depth + problem + case + participatory classroom” model, establishing a “dialogue-type” dual-subject teaching model with full student participation in teaching, and forming a teacher-student educational community in the ideological-political classroom. Taking the course “Basic Principles of Marxism” as an example, the book elaborates on the core essence of how to achieve “student-centeredness” and the “theoretical depth +,” “problem +,” “case +,” and “participatory classroom” approaches, designing a model with practical operability for innovating the ideological-political course teaching discourse system.

该书深入分析高校思政课教学话语体系建设的目标导向，具体解读各话语目标的本质要求。思政课教学中，思想性是灵魂，目标是传导主流意识形态，体现价值性和知识性相统一；理论性是教学的根基，目标在于展现马克思主义理论的魅力，为学生分析问题和解决问题提供观点和方法论依据，体现政治性和学理性相统一；亲和力是条件，目标在于增强教学话语的吸引力和感染力，体现教学话语贴近现实、回应时代之问、贴近学生的真实生活，体现理论性和实践性相统一；针对问题，通过把握学生的思想脉搏，找准教学的切入点和着力点，提高教学话语的有效性，体现主导性和主体性相统一。以大学生对思政课教学话语要求的调查研究和特等奖教师示范公开课教学话语的典型分析为基础，作者提炼了高校思政课教学话语“六要六有”要求：思想要鲜明、理论要透彻、内容要丰富、问题要明确、表达要清晰、语言要时尚，论证有逻辑、文化有底蕴、现实有关注、热点有把握、需求有了解、特点有掌握。同时，该书还分析了高校思政课教学话语体系建设存在的一些问题，包括社会思潮的多元化冲击主流话语消解教学的思想性，网络信息碎片化削弱教学的理论性，教学话语的单一化影响教学的亲和力，教学话语的抽象化淹没教学话语的针对性等。在深入分析问题及其原因的基础上，以提升教学话语的有效性为目标，作者提出以“思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”为目标导向的话语创新路径，包括贯彻“以学生为中心”的教学理念，构建“学理+问题+案例+参与课堂”，建立学生全面参与教学的“对话型”双主体教学模式，形成思政课堂师生教育共同体。以“马克思主义基本原理”课程为例，本书对如何做到“以学生为中心”，“学理+”“问题+”“案例+”“参与课堂”的核心要义进行了阐述，为如何创新思政课教学话语体系设计了具有现实操作性的模型。

Compared with other works on the study of the laws of ideological-political course teaching, the innovation of this book is manifested in the following: In terms of research content, it is reflected in the clarity of teaching objectives and the design of the teaching classroom. The purpose of innovating the teaching discourse system is to enhance the attractiveness, engaging power, and influence of teaching discourse on students. The pursuit of the goals of “ideological content, theoretical depth, affinity, and targetedness” and the establishment of the specific requirements of the “six musts and six haves” for ideological-political course teaching discourse in higher education institutions provide a fundamental basis for teaching design. In terms of research philosophy, it adheres to the “student-centered” teaching philosophy, reflecting the student’s subject status in teaching design. The teaching process is designed as “theoretical depth + problem + case + participatory classroom,” establishing problem-based, heuristic, case-based, and inquiry-based classroom types, forming a “dialogue-type” dual-subject teaching model with full student participation in teaching, all aimed at forming a teacher-student educational community in the ideological-political classroom. In terms of research methods, systematic thinking highlights the comprehensiveness of the goal orientation of “ideological content, theoretical depth, affinity, and targetedness.” Emphasizing ideological content means clarifying the ideological attribute and value orientation of the ideological-political course; focusing on theoretical depth deepens the theoretical foundation of the ideological-political course, helping to enhance students’ theoretical literacy and thinking ability; enhancing affinity helps to increase students’ sense of pleasure in learning and stimulate learning interest; targetedness helps to improve the practical effectiveness of the ideological-political course. The book also employs typical analysis methods to dissect the teaching discourse characteristics of model open classes taught by special prize-winning teachers, providing a genuinely experiential reference for innovation in ideological-political course teaching discourse in higher education institutions.

相比于其他对思政课教学规律研究的著述，该书的创新表现在：在研究内容上，体现为教学目标的明确性和教学课堂的设计性。教学话语体系创新的目的是提高教学话语对学生的吸引力、感染力和影响力，高校思政课教学话语追求“思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”目标和确立“六要六有”的具体要求，为教学设计提供了根本依据。在研究理念上，坚持“以学生为中心”的教学理念，体现教学设计的学生主体地位。教学过程设计“学理+问题+案例+参与课堂”，建立问题式、启发式、案例式、探究式课堂类型，形成学生全面参与教学的“对话型”双主体教学模式，其目的都是在思政课堂上形成师生教育共同体。在研究方法上，系统思维突出了“思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”目标导向的全面性。强调思想性就是明确思政课的意识形态属性和价值导向；注重理论性深化思政课的理论基础，有助于提升学生的理论素养和思维能力；提升亲和力有助于增强学生的学习愉悦感，激发学习兴趣；针对性有助于提升思政课的实效性。书中还运用典型分析方法，剖析特等奖教师示范公开课的教学话语特点，使高校思政课教学话语创新具有真实的亲验性参照。

In summary, this book strives to explore the laws of ideological-political course teaching in higher education institutions, focuses on the innovative model of the teaching discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions, and provides useful reference and inspiration for improving the effectiveness of ideological-political course teaching discourse in higher education institutions, as well as for ideological-political course reform and curriculum-based ideological-political education reform.

总之，该书努力探索高校思政课教学规律，聚焦高校思政课教学话语体系创新模式，对提高高校思政课教学话语效力，以及思政课改革和课程思政改革提供了有益的借鉴和启示。

Of course, the innovation of the teaching discourse system for ideological-political courses in higher education institutions is an endless process; its content and expression need to be continuously innovated in response to the needs of the times, student characteristics, and changes in reality. Some aspects of the research in Professor Li Xia’s work still need to be enriched and deepened. For example, how to realize the “Two Integrations” [1]1 The Two Integrations (两个结合) refers to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of fine traditional Chinese culture. in the ideological-political classroom, how to leverage the role of fine traditional Chinese culture in enlightening wisdom and nourishing the mind in the ideological-political classroom, and how to enhance the artistry of the ideological-political classroom, etc. These are all important contents of ideological-political course teaching discourse innovation in higher education institutions, and the discussion of these contents in the book has not yet been fully developed, requiring the author to conduct further in-depth research.

当然，高校思政课教学话语体系的创新是一个无止境的过程，其内容及表达需要随着时代的需求、学生特点以及现实的变化而不断地创新。李霞教授这部著作中有些内容的研究还需要不断丰富和深化，例如，如何在思政课堂上实现“两个结合”，如何发挥中华优秀传统文化在思政课堂上的启智润心作用，如何提高思政课堂的艺术性，等等，这些都是高校思政课教学话语创新的重要内容，这些内容的论述在该书中还没有充分地展开，需要作者进一步深化研究。

(The author is a Distinguished Professor of Boya Scholar at Central China Normal University and Chief Expert of the “Zhang Yanguo Studio” of the Chinese Academy of History.)

（作者系华中师范大学博雅学者特聘教授、中国历史研究院“张艳国工作室”首席专家）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心