On July 24, 2017, Prof. Zhang Xuezheng from Tsinghua University, a member of NEFU panel of teaching consultants was invited by NEFU Center for Faculty Development and College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering to present a splendid report titled “Morals, Attainments, Teaching Approaches and Art of Teachers” with the purpose of strengthening the training for the morals and ethics of teachers, motivating the spirit of devotion and dedication and enhancing teaching competence.

In the first place, Prof. Zhang Xuezheng gave an incisive interpretation concerning how to be a qualified teacher based on the reflection upon the dropout of a rural student of Tsinghua University. He held that in order to become a good teacher, firstly, one should love teaching, act as a model for students and exert a subtle influence on students through imparting knowledge and presenting the enthusiasm for the cause of education; secondly, one has to be characterized by the demeanor of great masters, the standard and virtue of temperament and bearing of people’s teachers; thirdly, one is expected to develop his own particular disposition and manner; fourthly, one is supposed to improve his overall quality including politics, morality, knowledge, law, integrity, humanity, psychological health and physical fitness, etc. In the second place, Prof. Zhang Xuezheng elaborated on how to give a first class in an appropriate and appealing way and how to intrigue students by making the most of the five minutes before each class. In accordance with his teaching practice over the past four decades, he concluded that teachers should achieve “Four Points, Four Properties and Two Emphases”, namely, “Stressing Key Points, Expounding Abstruse Points, Arranging Inspiring Points and Designing Engrossing Points”; “Striving for the Four Properties of Logic, Enlightenment, Pace and Figurativeness; “Emphasizing Case Instruction and Language Expression”. To all the attendees, he pointed out that the art of teaching is the art of living and the internal cultivation rather than the external ornament should be valued; only when teachers love their students wholeheartedly can the sessions be permeated with passion, wisdom and delight.

During the three and half hours of the academic report, Prof Zhang Xuezheng demonstrated a passionate class with admirable wit and humor on the basis of his own teaching and research experience, exemplifying substantial characteristic cases with humorous and enthusiastic expression. This report reflects his educational spirit of revering teaching, class instruction and students coupled with his quality as a teacher and life criteria, which will greatly promote and influence teachers’ love for teaching and care for the growth of students. Meanwhile, the teaching approaches and strategies initiated by Prof. Zhang Xuezheng have high effectiveness and practicability, especially the flexible usage of the considerable quantities of reading notes and diverse range of “stories” accumulated in his daily life, which will be valuable guidance and reference for class instruction.