(English) Can education become “too soft”?

| 把 2008年5月2号 粘贴在 课程发展, 信息技术, 公共关系, 素质教育 上面里 Print This Post Print This Post

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4 replies

  1. liguangdui (作者博客) 说:

    在 %I:%M%p 添加 2008年5月2号

    由“压迫式”的“打、骂、吓”突然到“糖果式”的“哄、慰、求”，表面上是由“硬”到“软”的教育转变，表面上是以人为本的、尊重所谓天性的人性化教育，实际上是走的是两个极端，犯的是相同的错误。两样都不能使得孩子自立自强，不能使得孩子真正成长，也不利于社会对孩子将来的需要。这似乎是当前国内很多搞新课改教育的又一个通病，一个就是新课改与社会现实脱节较大，浪漫主义气息较重；另外一个就可能算这个了，仍然是与养成其长远发展需要的能力和素质相背离。现在的教育有两种比较值得学习的方向：一个就是提倡教育与具体现实紧密结合，另外一个就是培养与“终身学习”相关的将来长远需要的学习和生活能力。希望我们正在探索的这些教育试验会尽量避免这些问题。

  2. connie kong 说：

    在 %I:%M%p     添加 2008年5月2号

    I think that teacher’s opinion on teaching and the education is perhaps just a rant (and sometimes, it is good to rant once a while). The American public education system is very different from her description. My first reaction for her comment is that in her search for solutions and causes of problem, perhaps she should begin with her own teaching philosophy and attitude. While her feeling is not uncommmon, it is nonetheless an exaggeration of what teaching is about.

  3. Kiel Harell 说：

    在 %I:%M%p     添加 2008年5月2号

    My experience teaching in the lower Rio Grande Valley has been very different than the teacher quoted above. I do agree that teachers are not allowed to teach (anymore?), but I have found the reasons in my region to be very different. I have never been discouraged from pointing out mistakes or using red pens and self esteem is rarely discussed at my school. If anything, testing here is difficult for my students because the tests are not true assessments of the intended knowledge, but rather checks to see how well students can use test-taking strategies. In my district, the state exams are given such weight that administration pulls students out of instruction for weeks before the exams so that they can “practice” using released tests from previous years. We are wrapping up the biggest week of testing today and most of my students have not received actual instruction for a month. Assessment is a valuable thing because it shows us what students know; however, the results become less valuable when teachers and administration manipulate the results by having kids learn the tests. In addition to this, it makes my school a miserable place for children because they often aren’t learning. Something I am confident they would like to do.

    I do have similar problems at my school regarding tardiness, disrespect and vandalism (amongst other things); however, I feel many of these problems are due to the fact that school is boring and irrelevant for many kids. Children are forced to be in school. If school isn’t enjoyable or valuable to them, then teachers and administration have to deal with all the problems that arise when someone is kept somewhere against their will. My school feels like a prison to a lot of my students and many of them are perceptive enough to point that out.

    I would agree that students do learn bad habits when they enter bad schools. I think this is true of teachers as well. Many teachers at my school are fatalistic about education and they attribute the problems at my school to the student population we serve. These attitudes tend to poison new teachers that come into the system and ultimately prevent real change from occurring.

  4. Stephanie Hakes 说：

    在 %I:%M%p     添加 2008年5月4号

    I grew up in suburban America and I actually can attest to the fact that these things happen rather frequently in privileged schools because the tax base of these communities is very high while teachers still get paid comparatively low and teaching is not seen as a respected profession in American culture as a whole. While many in the United States value education, the comprehensive system is based upon individual (people, states, districts, schools, etc.) autonomy. In education this means that are very few uniform standards of measurement for achievement especially on the federal level. This aspect is very different from Chinese education because in China a student’s success relies heavily on test scores. The means for comparing one student from another in the U.S. is based upon a variety of factors both empirical and qualitative and these are highly related to the demographics of the individual students. This is not so different from China where the privileged benefit greatly in the large cities and the rural population is not afforded many of the same/crucial resources to succeed. In the U.S., we have neglected our inner cities especially when concerned with education and I actually see a relationship between the inner city schools in America and the rural schools in China. I feel that in both cases we need to start on the grassroots level and get those people who are concerned with the well being of our countries to come together and stop letting the politics of money and power continue to corrupt these fragile populations. I feel this is what this particular teacher was trying to voice when she made the comments she made. It is complex on many levels. Although a positive attitude and a continuous drive for improving technique is powerful, our overall view of education and teachers needs so change on societal level. The U.S. needs to respect the institution definitively and culturally. This is definitely something the U.S. could learn from China.

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