Typical School Day
http://www.ivanwalsh.com/business-development/why-chinese-kids-are-smart-but-not-creative/
Are America's students falling behind the world?
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-pisa-test-results-20131209-story.html
The child, student, parent, culture
http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/teaching-values/481-parenting-students-to-the-top.gs?page=all
Amy Chua's account of being a mother:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/books/excerpt-battle-hymn-of-the-tiger-mother.html
Chinese Flocking to US Schools
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/31/opinion/bennett-china-us-schools/
With Video:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/education-in-china-testing-diane-sawyer_n_785016.html
Video:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/22/studentnews/sn-curriculum-thu/index.html (@2:25)
2 videos:
http://www.pisaday.org/
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Comparing U.S. and Chinese Public School Systems
Data shows that students in Chinese schools, students perceive their classroom environments to be competitive and teacher-controlled. Students feel that this is a productive route to learning [3]. Students enjoy a friendly learning atmosphere where students and teachers work together in interesting and challenging class activities [3]. Chinese students feel that a collaborative learning environment promotes deeper and achievement-oriented approach to learning, which they prefer to other approaches to learning [3].
Comparing U.S. and Chinese Public School Systems
by Van Schaack
TEACHING AND TEACHING STRATEGIES
(US AND CHINA)
In China:
To Become a Teacher:
In order to become a teacher in
Mainland China, it is necessary for senior-middle-school teachers to be
graduates with two additional years of training in a professional institution
[2]. Primary-school teachers need to be graduates of secondary schools [2].
Teaching Strategies:
Different teaching strategies are
employed in China as compared to the United States. In China, if a student is
having difficulty grasping concepts in math class, the teacher may ask the
student to come in front of the class to try to solve a problem so that the
teacher and other students can help the student to correct his or her mistakes.
If the student needs additional help, he will stay after school and work
one-on-one with the teacher. The student's parents will also be involved and
will help him with his math homework when he gets home from school, and on the
weekends as well.
Data shows that students in Chinese schools, students perceive their classroom environments to be competitive and teacher-controlled. Students feel that this is a productive route to learning [3]. Students enjoy a friendly learning atmosphere where students and teachers work together in interesting and challenging class activities [3]. Chinese students feel that a collaborative learning environment promotes deeper and achievement-oriented approach to learning, which they prefer to other approaches to learning [3].
In the U.S.:
To Become a Teacher:
To become a teacher at an
American elementary, middle or high school, it is necessary for all teachers to
complete a four-year undergraduate higher education program. Undergraduate
education programs exist, where after four years the student has a degree in
education and only needs to take a teaching certification exam in the state
that they want to teach in to become a teacher. For other students, post
undergraduate education, future teachers need to complete a thirteen-month to
two-year teaching certification degree (depending on the speed of the courses
taken). These future teachers as well will need to take a certification
examination in the state in which they want to teach and pass it to become a
teacher. Many elementary, middle and high school teachers go on to get their
Masters degree in education, which is an additional two years of education. A
Masters degree (MA) can allow a teacher to be paid a higher salary than they
would otherwise receive. In addition, it may make them a more attractive
candidate when applying for a job in a school located in a higher SES area. In
order to become a college or University professor, most students will need to
complete an undergraduate education, as well as get their Masters degree.
Depending on the University, it may be wise to go on for an additional two
years to get a Doctorate degree (Dr.). In more prestigious universities,
professors are usually doctors (have a doctorate degree).
Group vs. Individual (China &
U.S)
Teachers in China focus on the
group as opposed to on the individual. If one student is lagging behind, the
class will stop and help the student, and bring him as quickly as possible to
the level of the rest of the group. It is believed that every student has the
ability to achieve in every subject, although some students will need to work
harder than others to achieve the same results. Teachers and parents seem
willing to help students who are not "naturals" at a subject to learn
the tools that they need to succeed in that particular subject, even if it
means working outside of school and on the weekends.
In Contrast, in America, being
called in front of a class and being critiqued by not only your teacher, but
also by other peers, could be downright damaging to a student's psyche. In the
U.S., education focuses on the individual, and maintaining students'
self-esteem is considered critical.
Further, if a U.S. student is
lagging in his or her math class, we have the tendency to attribute the
student's failure to him simply not being good at math. Students in this
situation will often move into a lower level math class (different math levels
are usually associated with middle school or high school).
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT:
Parental involvement is a
critical component to a child's educational experience. If a child's parents
value education, then the child is more likely to value school as well. In
China, parental involvement is higher than compared to the US. Chinese parents
accept the critical role of helping their students to learn concepts if they
are lagging behind in school. Chinese parents also make sure that their
children complete their homework. Parents in the U.S. typically play a more
passive role in the education of their children. In China, education ethics begins with
parents. Mothers in eastern Asian countries for example, will actually attend
school in order to take notes for their children when they are ill and unable
to attend themselves [12]. In addition, parents are actually expected to attend
school to observe their children's work habits [12].
