(no subject)
this is a paper for a class. i'm required to share with people. it's quite long and boring. read at your own risk. XP
Jieliang Hao
Strategies 4th
Comparison paper
Final draft
Chinese Schools and American Schools
Every time when someone brings up a phrase like “Chinese student”, a stereo-typical image would come to our heads. It would be a short skinny Asian guy with coke-can glasses. His pants pulled all the way up to his waist, with his shirt tucked in and buttoned to the throat. He doesn’t talk about anything you care about or understand. He sits alone at lunch with books and a calculator. He has neither life nor friends. Doing math is his hobby. You wonder what’s wrong with the guy. Some of these stereo-types are true, however some are not. It is not that Chinese students don’t like to have fun. It’s rather that the Chinese school system forces the coke-can glasses on them. It is not the people that are different, it’s the schools.
One of the fundamental differences between American schools and Chinese schools is the workload students have and the amounts of materials school covers. In China, a school day is nine hours long with optional study halls outside of the school day. It is perfectly normal for someone to go to school in the morning before the sun is out, and get home long after the sun sets. In America, a school day is only seven hours long and students get out of school at three in the afternoon. When a Chinese student gets home, four hours of homework would be all he has time for. On the contrary, American students only have about one to two hours of homework and still have time left to relax and hangout with friends. Chinese schools put a much heavier workload on students. As a result, more materials are covered at a faster rate. A second grader in China would be able to do multiplication and division. In fourth grade, linear equations would be introduced. In America, students multiply and divide for the first time in third grade, and linear equations are not taught until seventh grade. A third grade Chinese student would be expected to know enough characters to read newspapers. That age is pushed back to sixth or eighth grade in America. Chinese schools give a much heavier workload and materials are covered much faster compared to the United States. In those areas, Chinese schools are like French bread: tough, long, very filling, and might even be bloating. On the other hand, American schools are like sandwiches: small, delicate, and perhaps not as fulfilling as a French bread.
Chinese and American schools also differ in teaching strategies. In a Chinese class, there will be mainly lectures form the teachers and note-taking for the students. However, there are more discussions and communication between the teachers and the students in America. Students are encouraged to think more on their own; whereas Chinese students mainly memorize facts and do countless practice problems until they know the format of every possible question. American schools are designed to fit each individual student. There are sports and clubs that help students find what they are interested in, and also different courses to choose from. Instead, schools are the same for everyone in china. Hands-on activities are encouraged in America, but due to the lack of resources, they are limited in China. American students are better at building projects, conducting experiments, and researching. Americans place less importance on tests, which are used to check if the students understood the material. They are merely just another study tool. On the other hand, tests are the only thing measuring the equality of a student in China. There are numerous tests in Chinese schools and most are carried out in a “pop-quiz fashion. An open book test would be pointless, calculators will never be allowed, and teachers handing out review sheets are unheard of. Tests will determine if you go to a good school or not. It will also determine if you could be in an accelerated class or not. Millions of Chinese students study day and night to take one test that will determine the quality of the rest of their lives, the College Entrance Exam. Chinese schools are more text book and test driven, while American schools offer choices and focus on thinking and hands-on skills.
The schools in theses two countries also differ in the students’ lives and their motivations to learn. Like a French bread, Chinese students’ lives are dull and dry compared to American students’, which is more like an interesting sandwich. Chinese students are under lots of stress and don’t have time to pursue their interests. Music and art classes are only offered in elementary schools. High school life in America is very exciting. There are clubs, sports, plays, student-run governments, and newspapers. There are also dances, contests, games, and other fun social events. On weekends and during vacations, students have time to go to movies or play sports. More importantly, American students have time to pursue their interests like: instruments, art, sports, jobs, and perhaps leaning more advanced knowledge in a subject that interests them. Students in America have the flexibility to choose what they like to do and their main motivation is interest. Students personalize their own sandwiches and they enjoy eating them because they have their favorite things in them. On the other hand, Chinese students are forced to devour their French breads even if they don’t want to. If you don’t eat, there’s always someone else who will. The fierce competition is what motivates Chinese students. American schools offer more fun and choices for interest-driven students, while Chinese schools offer the same things to everyone and natural-selection is what motivates the students.
The education systems are different in so many ways. Chinese schools are long, hard, and boring, but they teach you a lot. Students driven by the competitive system are forced to study, resulting in the “Asian nerd” stereo-type. American schools offer many choices and students learn by interest. One is like French bread, boring but fulfilling. The other is like a sandwich, delicious but perhaps not enough. A sub sandwich seems like a better idea. Chinese schools could lighten their workload, place less emphasis on tests, and introduce more choices. American schools could have the students do more work and focus on the core classes. Mmm…the goodness of a sub sandwich would be the result.
Jieliang Hao
Strategies 4th
Comparison paper
Final draft
Chinese Schools and American Schools
Every time when someone brings up a phrase like “Chinese student”, a stereo-typical image would come to our heads. It would be a short skinny Asian guy with coke-can glasses. His pants pulled all the way up to his waist, with his shirt tucked in and buttoned to the throat. He doesn’t talk about anything you care about or understand. He sits alone at lunch with books and a calculator. He has neither life nor friends. Doing math is his hobby. You wonder what’s wrong with the guy. Some of these stereo-types are true, however some are not. It is not that Chinese students don’t like to have fun. It’s rather that the Chinese school system forces the coke-can glasses on them. It is not the people that are different, it’s the schools.
One of the fundamental differences between American schools and Chinese schools is the workload students have and the amounts of materials school covers. In China, a school day is nine hours long with optional study halls outside of the school day. It is perfectly normal for someone to go to school in the morning before the sun is out, and get home long after the sun sets. In America, a school day is only seven hours long and students get out of school at three in the afternoon. When a Chinese student gets home, four hours of homework would be all he has time for. On the contrary, American students only have about one to two hours of homework and still have time left to relax and hangout with friends. Chinese schools put a much heavier workload on students. As a result, more materials are covered at a faster rate. A second grader in China would be able to do multiplication and division. In fourth grade, linear equations would be introduced. In America, students multiply and divide for the first time in third grade, and linear equations are not taught until seventh grade. A third grade Chinese student would be expected to know enough characters to read newspapers. That age is pushed back to sixth or eighth grade in America. Chinese schools give a much heavier workload and materials are covered much faster compared to the United States. In those areas, Chinese schools are like French bread: tough, long, very filling, and might even be bloating. On the other hand, American schools are like sandwiches: small, delicate, and perhaps not as fulfilling as a French bread.
Chinese and American schools also differ in teaching strategies. In a Chinese class, there will be mainly lectures form the teachers and note-taking for the students. However, there are more discussions and communication between the teachers and the students in America. Students are encouraged to think more on their own; whereas Chinese students mainly memorize facts and do countless practice problems until they know the format of every possible question. American schools are designed to fit each individual student. There are sports and clubs that help students find what they are interested in, and also different courses to choose from. Instead, schools are the same for everyone in china. Hands-on activities are encouraged in America, but due to the lack of resources, they are limited in China. American students are better at building projects, conducting experiments, and researching. Americans place less importance on tests, which are used to check if the students understood the material. They are merely just another study tool. On the other hand, tests are the only thing measuring the equality of a student in China. There are numerous tests in Chinese schools and most are carried out in a “pop-quiz fashion. An open book test would be pointless, calculators will never be allowed, and teachers handing out review sheets are unheard of. Tests will determine if you go to a good school or not. It will also determine if you could be in an accelerated class or not. Millions of Chinese students study day and night to take one test that will determine the quality of the rest of their lives, the College Entrance Exam. Chinese schools are more text book and test driven, while American schools offer choices and focus on thinking and hands-on skills.
The schools in theses two countries also differ in the students’ lives and their motivations to learn. Like a French bread, Chinese students’ lives are dull and dry compared to American students’, which is more like an interesting sandwich. Chinese students are under lots of stress and don’t have time to pursue their interests. Music and art classes are only offered in elementary schools. High school life in America is very exciting. There are clubs, sports, plays, student-run governments, and newspapers. There are also dances, contests, games, and other fun social events. On weekends and during vacations, students have time to go to movies or play sports. More importantly, American students have time to pursue their interests like: instruments, art, sports, jobs, and perhaps leaning more advanced knowledge in a subject that interests them. Students in America have the flexibility to choose what they like to do and their main motivation is interest. Students personalize their own sandwiches and they enjoy eating them because they have their favorite things in them. On the other hand, Chinese students are forced to devour their French breads even if they don’t want to. If you don’t eat, there’s always someone else who will. The fierce competition is what motivates Chinese students. American schools offer more fun and choices for interest-driven students, while Chinese schools offer the same things to everyone and natural-selection is what motivates the students.
The education systems are different in so many ways. Chinese schools are long, hard, and boring, but they teach you a lot. Students driven by the competitive system are forced to study, resulting in the “Asian nerd” stereo-type. American schools offer many choices and students learn by interest. One is like French bread, boring but fulfilling. The other is like a sandwich, delicious but perhaps not enough. A sub sandwich seems like a better idea. Chinese schools could lighten their workload, place less emphasis on tests, and introduce more choices. American schools could have the students do more work and focus on the core classes. Mmm…the goodness of a sub sandwich would be the result.