I find it interesting that grave concern over productivity and
application of intellect in the West is represented in direct
reference to the "threat" of increasing output from other parts of the
world.
I find it heartening that other countries are engendering greater
commitment to higher education and achievement in their students.
That youtube clip sets the scene as though America is approaching some
sort of "intellectual war" ... I was waiting to see the four horseman
of the apocalypse ride by. ;)
It seems the real issue here is not the danger of other countries'
success, but the failing of our own.
Cheers
Chris
Quoting "J. Michael Nolan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
The shift from the West (decrease) to other regions of the World
(increase) in terms of Publications in Scientific Journals has
already been well chronicled.
I don't have the answer, but it should be a concern.
The link below came to me a a very concerned Biology Teacher of more
than 30 years.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WS_QENuOYL8
Thanks and have a great weekend.
Mike Nolan....see below
Reminder: You can comment on this or any past posting by going to:
http://amps-tools.mit.edu/tomprofblog/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One suggestion is that this superior ability of Chinese students to
use memorization to assist in concept development stems from their
very earliest experiences of language learning as children. Chinese
(also Korean and Japanese) mothers are reported to use more verbs
and other relational words in the "baby talk" they address to their
infants and fewer nouns, while English-speaking mothers use more
nouns and focus more on object naming."
----------------------------------
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Folks:
The posting below looks at the role of cultural influences on
student learning. It is an excerpt by the author, Robert DeHaan,
from Chapter 7, "National cultural influences on higher education",
which traces the impact of national historical roots and cultural
context on higher education today in India, China, and the U.S. The
chapter is from the book, Education for Innovation: Implications for
India, China and America, (Eds. R.L. DeHaan and K.M.V. Narayan),
Rotterdam, Sense Publishers, pp. 133-165, 2008.
http://www.sensepublishers.com. © 2007 Sense Publishing. Reprinted
with permission.
Robert L. DeHaan, Ph.D. is the C. H. Candler Professor, Emeritus,
Senior Science Advisor Division of Educational Studies, Emory
University, Atlanta, GA 30322. The full chapter, with references,
is available from the author by writing to him at:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
Regards,
Rick Reis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
UP NEXT: Working Effectively with the Dean
Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning
-------------------------------------- 631 words
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The Paradox of the Chinese Learner
The image of students from Asian cultures as rote memorizers being
taught by authoritarian teachers has led to a concept deemed the
"paradox of the Chinese learner" (Watkins & Biggs, 2001). Despite
large classes, expository instruction, relentless norm-referenced
testing, and a teacher-centered classroom climate which, by Western
standards, seem not to be conducive to optimal learning, Asian
students typically outperform Western students in mathematics and
science. As noted above, this has been shown repeatedly in
multi-national assessments such TIMSS and PISA. Youngsters from
Japan, Korea, Singapore, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong-China, and
Macao-China (to date, the PRC has not participated) all demonstrate
deeper content knowledge and better conceptual development than
American students of similar age and grade levels (Tatsuoka &
Corter, 2004).
Researchers suggest at least two hypotheses to account for this
apparent paradox. One hypothesis is that Chinese students learn at
early ages how to be "active memorizers," how to use memorization as
a tool for concept development rather than a block to it (DeHaan,
2006). When first-year students entering Nanjing University were
queried about their conceptions of learning, they did not see
memorization as a barrier to conceptual understanding. They were
able to distinguish between mechanical memorization versus
memorization with understanding (Wong & Wen, 2001). According to Li
and Chang (2001), rote learning as used in the Chinese classroom "is
not mere memorization, but a consolidation of knowledge and a
deepening of understanding." One suggestion is that this superior
ability of Chinese students to use memorization to assist in concept
development stems from their very earliest experiences of language
learning as children. Chinese (also Korean and Japanese) mothers are
reported to use more verbs and other relational words in the "baby
talk" they address to their infants and fewer nouns, while
English-speaking mothers use more nouns and focus more on object
naming (Gopnik, Choi, & Boumberger, 1996; Tardif, Gelman, & Xu,
1999). Thus, by the age of two, Chinese children's vocabularies
contain a much higher proportion of verbs than English-speaking
children. Moreover, Chinese parents place greater emphasis on
mastery of practical knowledge by their preschoolers than do U.S. or
Australian parents. "English-speaking preschoolers must also master
new knowledge, but the Chinese emphasis on knowledge acquisition at
an early age is remarkable" (Wellman et al., 2006, p. 1077).
Evidence is accumulating that these early language-learning
experiences may influence a child's problem-solving and theory
formation capacities later in life (Gopnik et al., 1996; Wellman et
al., 2006).
A second hypothesis that may explain the apparent paradox is that
the image of the Chinese instructor as authoritarian may be
misconstrued when examined in light of Asian expectations. Ho (2001)
reviews an extensive body of literature showing that in authority
situations, Westerners focus on the restriction of freedom of
choice, whereas Asians looking at the same situation focus on the
responsibility of the person in authority to care for the interests
of their charges. Where strictness in Western classrooms may be
viewed as reflecting animosity or inadequate teaching skills, it is
seen in the Chinese context as parental-like nurturing that enhances
motivation in students.
The importance of context and motivation in learning is made clear
from experiences of students displaced from their countries of
ethnic origin. In the United States, for example, ethnic Korean
students are usually found among the "Asian model" group of
high-achievers. In Japan, in contrast, Korean families often occupy
lower socioeconomic levels and their children perform poorly in
school (Park, 2007). The inadequate performance of Korean students
in the Japanese schools, like that of many African-American students
in U.S. schools, may result from factors such as language
differences, low level of school engagement, lack of educational
motivation, and social identity threat (Walton & Cohen, 2007). But
much more research is needed to understand causal relationships in
this area.
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