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Methods of Education: East and West

  A teacher from Canada recently visited an elementary school in Japan. In one class, she watched sixty young children as they learned to draw a cat. The class teacher drew a big circle on the blackboard, and sixty children copied it on their papers. The teacher drew a smaller circle on top of the first and then put two triangles on top of it; the children continued their cats in exactly the same way. The lesson continued until there were sixty-one identical cats in the classroom.

  The Canadian teacher was startled by the lesson. The teaching methods - and their effects - were very different from those in her own country. An art lesson in a Canadian school would lead to a room full of unique pictures, not a series of identical cats. Why? What causes this difference in educational methods?

  In any classroom in any country, the instructor teaches more than just art or history or language. Part of what'going on - consciously or not - is the teaching of culture: the attitudes, values and beliefs of the society. Every education system is inevitably a mirror that reflects the culture of the society it is a part of.

   In many Western societies, such as the United States or Canada, which are made up of many different nationalities, religious groups and cultural orientations, individualism and independent thinking are highly valued. And these values are reflected by the education systems in these countries. Teachers emphasize the qualities that make each student special. Students are seldom expected to memorize information; instead, they are encouraged to think for themselves, find answers on their own and come up with individual solutions. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions, and to express their ideas in class discussion.

  In Japan, by contrast, the vast majority of people share the same language, history, and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the education system there reflects a belief in group goals and traditions rather than individualism. Japanese schoolchildren often work together and help one another on assignments. In the classroom, the teacher is the main source of knowledge: He or she lectures, and the students listen. There is not much discussion; instead, the students recite rules or information that they have memorized.The advantage of the education system in Japan is that students there learn the social skill of cooperation. Another advantage is that they learn much more math and science than most American students. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than their North American counterparts do. The system is demanding, but it prepares children for a society that values discipline and self-control. There are, however, disadvantages. For one thing, many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information they memorized. For another, the extremely demanding system puts enormous psychological pressure on students, and is considered a primary factor in the high suicide rate among Japanese school-age children.

   The advantage of the education system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. They learn to take the initiative - to make decisions and take action without someone telling them what to do. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas and individual responsibility. There are drawbacks, however. Among other things, American high school graduates haven't studied as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have. And many social critics attribute the high crime rate in the US at least partially to a lack of discipline in the schools.

  .教育之道：东方和西方

   一位来自加拿大的老师最近参观了一所日本的小学。 在一堂课上， 她观看了60个小孩子在学习画猫。 任课老师在黑板上画了一个大圆圈，60个孩子就模仿着画在纸上。老师在第一个圆圈上面画了一个小些的圆圈，然后又在小圆圈上面画了两个三角形；孩子们也以完全相同的方式继续画着他们的猫。这堂课就这么继续着，直到教室里有了61只一模一样的猫。

      这节课让那位加拿大老师大为吃惊。 这类教学方法--以及它们的效果--同她自己国家的迥然不同。 加拿大学校里的一节美术课会产生满满一屋子独一无二的图画，而不是一张又一张完全相同的猫。 为什么呢? 是什么造成了这种教学方法上的不同呢?

      在任何国家的任何一个教室里，老师教的都不仅仅是艺术、历史或语言。课堂活动的一部分--有意识或无意识地--是在传授文化：社会的观念、价值观和信仰。每一种教育制度都不可避免地是一面反映其所在社会的文化的镜子。

     在像美国或加拿大这样由许多不同的民族、宗教团体和文化取向构成的西方社会中，个性和独立思考受到高度重视。这些价值观通过这些国家的教育制度反映出来。老师们强调那些使每个学生都与众不同的品质。他们很少要求学生熟记信息；却鼓励他们独立思考，独自寻找答案，并提出各自的解决方法。学生们从小就学着形成自己的意见和看法，并在课堂讨论中各抒己见。在日本则截然不同，绝大多数人有着同样的语言、历史和文化。也许是由于这个缘故，那儿的教育制度反映了一种对集体目标和传统而不是对个性的信念。日本的学童经常在一起学习，做作业时相互帮助。在教室里，教师是主要的知识来源：教师讲，学生听。没有很多的讨论；学生们却要背诵他们已经记住的规则或信息。

    日本教育制度的优点是那儿的学生能学到合作的社交技能。 另一个优点是他们学的数学和自然科学比大多数美国学生多得多。 他们每天学习的时数和每年学习的天数也比北美的学生多。这种制度要求高，但它却使孩子们能为进入一个重视纪律和自制的社会作好准备。然而，它也有缺点。首先，很多学生说考试之后，他们就会忘记许多曾经记熟的信息。其次，这个要求极高的制度给学生们带来巨大的心理压力，并被认为是日本学龄儿童自杀率高的一个主要因素。

    另一方面，北美教育制度的优点是，学生们学习独立思考。他们学习采取主动--做决定和采取行动都无须别人告诉他们做什么。这种制度使他们能为进入一个重视创造性的思想和个人责任的社会作好准备。不过，它也有弊端：除了别的以外，美国高中毕业生学的基本规则和事实就不如其他国家的学生学的多。而许多社会评论家认为美国的高犯罪率至少部分地应归咎于学校的纪律涣散。