Apparently, the world is NOT flat...
On Monday we met with the director of Basic Education at the Chinese Ministry of Education. In his presentation, he cited an argument from Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat."
That this man could work in Friedman into his vision of how Chinese education should be reformed, and could also analyze the merits of the No Child Left Behind Act, left a powerful impression on me.
Yesterday, we went to visit a middle school. The 7th and 8th grade students were studying in crammed classrooms of 40 to 44 students each. Yet, their passion for learning, confidence, and intelligence was almost out of this world. Half of the students could speak fluent English, and the other half could understand and speak haltingly. The reality of these Chinese youth mastering English so early, and the focus of their curriculum on math, chemistry, phyics, and Chinese was scary. I think very highly of our own students in America, but these Chinese students in a public school showed me that the world is not really flat after all. The Chinese have, by virtue of their rigorous educational system, tilted the playground in their favor. If our students in America are to compete/collaborate with these Chinese kids in the future, we have our work cut out for us in America.
Now someone go fetch me an olive and a Lexus!
That this man could work in Friedman into his vision of how Chinese education should be reformed, and could also analyze the merits of the No Child Left Behind Act, left a powerful impression on me.
Yesterday, we went to visit a middle school. The 7th and 8th grade students were studying in crammed classrooms of 40 to 44 students each. Yet, their passion for learning, confidence, and intelligence was almost out of this world. Half of the students could speak fluent English, and the other half could understand and speak haltingly. The reality of these Chinese youth mastering English so early, and the focus of their curriculum on math, chemistry, phyics, and Chinese was scary. I think very highly of our own students in America, but these Chinese students in a public school showed me that the world is not really flat after all. The Chinese have, by virtue of their rigorous educational system, tilted the playground in their favor. If our students in America are to compete/collaborate with these Chinese kids in the future, we have our work cut out for us in America.
Now someone go fetch me an olive and a Lexus!
posted by kenokoth at 8:52 PM
1 Comments:
Ken--very impressive blog--at least as much as I read. I think your observations about just how focused the Chinese students are at such a young age is important to convey as we plan our learnserve China.
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