Editor's Notes: The Open University of China (OUC) has initiated a programme to nurture candidates for the inaugural session of "Outstanding Young Teachers," resulting in 104 teachers being bestowed with the esteemed title of "OUC Outstanding Young Teachers."

By sharing the stories of some of these young teachers and highlighting their experiences of learning and personal growth, our aim is to showcase the dedication and enthusiasm of all OUC teachers who are devoted to contributing to the establishment of a lifelong learning society for all.

Deng Honghong, the director of the Education Research Department at Heilongjiang Open University and a core member of the teaching team at the OUC. She has been honored as an "Advanced Individual in Triple Education" and an "Excellent Communist Party Member" for many consecutive years. She also received the first prize in the comprehensive teaching skills and the Best Course Ideological and Political Design Award in the National Open Education Professional Course Ideological and Political Teaching Case Competition. She has published over 20 papers and presided over more than 10 projects, including the Heilongjiang Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project, the Heilongjiang Provincial Education Science Planning Project, and the General Project of the OUC. She has won 16 provincial awards, including the Heilongjiang Provincial Social Science Excellent Achievement Second Prize (Government Award) and the Heilongjiang Provincial Basic Education Teaching Achievement Second Prize. In 2019, she was honored with the title of "Young Academic Rising Star" by Heilongjiang Open University.

I am honored to be recognized by the headquarters as a candidate for the first session of OUC Outstanding Young Teachers. Over the course of three years, my learning literacy, practical ability, innovative development, and research capability have greatly improved. Learning is endless, and although these three years of study have come to an end, the next phase of learning is about to begin.

In this article, I will share my learning and experiences over the past three years from four horizontal perspectives: learning power, practical power, innovation power, and research power. I will summarize experiences to promote growth.

I. Sustained Learning Power

Learning is an encounter and dialogue with the objective world. Every course organized by the OUC Outstanding Young Teacher Training Programme made me continuously think and reflect, exploring how teaching should be better carried out. During the training period, the Excellent Youth project increased my knowledge reserves. At the same time, on platforms such as China University MOOC and NetEase Open Course, I independently studied multiple courses and participated in the Teaching Development Seminar of the "Cloud Academy" for National Higher Education Young Teachers, held by Peking University, reading a large number of professional books. Active learning itself is a kind of educational reform, it is the inner drive for learning. With the help of technology to conduct independent learning and cognition, and to construct a knowledge system, I have gradually transitioned from passive acceptance to active inquiry.

II. Comprehensive Practical Power

Teaching and educating people are the fundamental tasks of a teacher. Teachers should comprehensively enhance their practical abilities: first, root themselves in the classroom, constantly reflecting and improving teaching practice; second, form educational insights through research results, and reflect on these results; third, organize a teaching team and work with people who have common professional interests. The teacher's primary job is teaching; diligently completing teaching tasks is the foundation of teaching, and passionately fulfilling the task of educating people is the soul of teaching.

III. Firm Innovation Power

Teachers are both the enlighteners of innovative thinking and the practitioners who drive innovation. The synergistic development of innovative elements in a teacher is the result of the interaction of various qualities within the teacher themselves. Innovation does not come from empty thinking, but through practical teaching, scientific research, thinking and argumentation, it reaches a relatively reasonable level, and then continues to develop, practice, and progress.

IV. Persistent Research Power

The scientific research platform is the basis for research power, and research ability is the core of research power. Persistent scientific research power can help us keenly sense the direction of future education and grasp the lifeline of educational reform. We should use our firm beliefs and ideals to change the classroom style and educational attitude of open education.

The long-term training of the Program has been incredibly beneficial for me. It is not just a fleeting experience, but a real opportunity for each of us to improve.

By OUC News Network