How Shanghai’s students stunned the world

[FarCenter]

SHANGHAI, China — Students in this booming Chinese city shocked the world last year when they beat every other country on international exams, but Chinese educators say their success is no fluke.

“If you are a hard-working, diligent student you will succeed," said Qiu Ying Li, who has been teaching English for 20 years. "This is the secret for all Chinese students.”

At Shanghai’s Yucai High School, students put in 12-hour days – nine hours before dinner plus three after they eat. Homework is assigned every evening, even for weekends, as an essential part of students’ learning activities. And kids study during summer and winter breaks to get ready for high-stakes college entrance tests.

With all of this hard work comes stress. To help students cope, time is set aside for workouts and even eye massages.

“It’s a test-oriented education system, which means students are taught from a very early age how to beat tests,” said Jiang Xueqin, deputy principal of Peking University High School.

Students are even tested in English, which they start learning at six years old. The approach seems to be paying off.

In the last worldwide evaluation of students’ performance, administered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Shanghai pupils’ scores topped the charts across the board in math, science and reading. Shanghai was the only site in China where the tests were administered.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44642475/ns/nightly_news/

[Ron Green]

1. There must be a happy medium between

this kind of hyperfocus and American slackerism.

[JI7]

2. i think Finland has something like that

i saw Fareed Zakaria talking about it. they focus on getting the best teachers, and i think the teachers are well paid and respected the same as Doctors and other professions.

[On the Road]

3. There *is* a Happy Medium

Chinese people who have been through this kind of regimen may have successful careers, but when you talk with them there is something missing with their understanding of the world and IMO with their lives. My daughter went Montessori and as a result is not only an ace in math but likes engineering. I would not have wanted her to have been educated this way.

[provis99]

4. here's the key point:

"Shanghai was the only site in China where the tests were administered." and "“Shanghai is definitely an outlier in China,” he said."

In other words, the headline and premise of the article is bullshit.

Let's compare Andover prep school students to the average Chinese student and see what percentage go to college. That's as fair a comparison as the one they are making here.

[seabeyond]

9. exactly. my hubby was lecturing boys last night bring in finland and china. i gave my perspective

how wrong it is comparing u.s. to these other countries. son said, they make ALL the kids take the SAT. so many of the kids are not interested, are not going to college, dont want to go to college, and purposely do a piss poor job on the test, cause... it matters not to them. then it is part of the whole grade.

wrong to compare the two.

[musette_sf]

5. "how to beat tests"

That says it all. This is NOT about education, by any means.

[sam11111]

6. no critical thinking mentioned: so, will support whatever Establishment later on IMO ..like vonBraun

Hitler's rocket genius


Also....so much work is not how humans should enjoy life.

Also..how will their emotional health be later on?

The OP is about "job training" not education..education includes Philosophy..ideas about how production shd be organized..so crucial in the class warfare world we live in now...critical thinking is basic but not in OP.

Education about ideas also spans
good vs bad behavior,
religion,
epistemology,
alien lifeforms,
what consciousness might be,
aesthetics (art)
reification,
Phythagorianism,
ontology,
etc etc

[sam11111]

7. SUMMERHILL england - best ed design i have heard of - freedom is the core

Some in US have copied it

Students join a class when they feel curious about it
IIRC. Otherwise free to roam the parklike grounds as best I recall from one article---anyone know more of it?

[seabeyond]

8. and this is my point. when we argue FINLAND, that is the way, look at china who is worse than u.s.

there are factors we ignore with the u.s. compared to these other countries as we use these statistics to vilify our educational system. not very smart