The academy's teaching model is based on Confucius's educational ideal of teaching without discrimination and tailoring education to individual abilities. It emphasizes self-directed learning, where students progress at their own pace, focusing on understanding virtue and the Dao rather than speed. The academy acts more like a research center, fostering students' abilities through self-study and inquiry.
Unlike traditional schooling with fixed schedules and teacher-led lectures, the academy employs a self-directed learning approach. Teachers provide broad guidance and share insights, but students are responsible for their own study, research, and understanding. The academy emphasizes quality education and personal development over structured classroom teaching.
The academy's curriculum focuses on Confucian classics and history, with an emphasis on interpreting and annotating these texts. It also includes works by past academy leaders, aiming to spread their academic thoughts. The academy's goal is to cultivate students' understanding of virtue and the Dao, preparing them for the imperial examinations.
'Yishu' refers to annotated texts that explain and interpret classical works, originally developed by Buddhists during the Northern and Southern Dynasties to clarify Buddhist scriptures. This method was later adopted by Confucian scholars to annotate Confucian classics, making complex ideas more accessible. These annotated texts are a key part of the academy's teaching materials.
Academies published their leaders' works to spread their academic thoughts and establish their scholarly reputation. This tradition began with the rise of the Six Great Academies in the Northern Song Dynasty. Publishing these works was seen as a way to 'establish words' (立言), one of the three Confucian ideals, ensuring the leaders' ideas were preserved and passed down to future scholars.
The large number of academies, growing from 200 in the Song Dynasty to 2,000 in the Qing Dynasty, significantly contributed to Chinese scholarship. Each academy published works by its leaders, resulting in a vast collection of high-quality academic texts. These publications, known as 'academy editions,' became an important part of China's ancient book collection system.