But I still have questions about how to interpret the contrasting behavior.
- Are the students cooperative or obedient?
- Are the rules that monitor their lives strict and unbending or helpfully guiding and molding?
- Is the discipline that the students have parentally-enforced or self-generated?
- Do they develop skills to adjust their dreams when they fall short of their goals?
- What power does education have if the carrot isn’t higher education or a good job?
- Would their teachers “Wendi Deng” for their students as I would?*
If I did have answers to those questions, I might be able to draw conclusions that would help me see how to change our educational system to be more effective and equitable. Can we serve true apple pie or will we be always defending the thrown cream pies?
I do, however, have some idea of what I’d like to work on for my teaching that comes from the Finnish system. I like the emphasis of assessments informing the instruction. This idea is not new to me, but I take strength from the idea that it works so well in their system. One of my focuses this year will be on the school’s grading system. How can I/we create formative and summative assessments that reflect the standards? And of course, how can we communicate that information to parents who are accustomed to a different system—just like when they were kids.
*check out that new term coined in defense of a cream pie: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/07/20/138536908/wendi-deng-murdoch-ruperts-savior-in-more-than-one-way
Great insight, Meg. I too have more questions. I had to wonder also if students from Japan, India, and Korea are driven because of an external force rather than a personal goal. There appeared to be little enjoyment in all their hard work on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteI know culture plays into a system, but at what oost. It appeared to me that the pressures were sky high for those students, and I'm not so sure american students experience this feeling as heavily. It seems like there could be a happy medium, a balance of work and play. I'm still puzzled.
Meg - great post - I have to process this a bit more! However, for the most pressing question, I am in favor of both cream and apple pie.
ReplyDeleteMeg you pose some really good questions. Watching the video today I went back and forth about my feelings on how others educate their students. Do I want American kids to be held accountable for their learning, pushed to their highest potential and motivated to be life long learners, yes of course. But not in the way other countries are doing it. I wish we could find that middle ground to show kids how valuable a good education is but also allow them to keep the balance of other extra curricular activities. We want well rounded and happy kids along with educated and driven.
ReplyDeleteoh and Apple Pie a la mode :)
ReplyDelete