Here is the first page of another revealing article. http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/asian_education/cover.html
School Daze Cramming. Bullies. Rote lessons. East Asia's schools are failing their students. Big changes are planned, but will they come soon enough? By HANNAH BEECH Kobe is the kind of Japanese city where a yellow light still means slow down rather than speed up. The days are calm and ordered in the old-fashioned way, with parents rushing to work in the morning and uniformed kids dawdling on the way to school. It was here that a quiet junior high school boy grew up on comic books and dreams of becoming a superhero. He was a loner, picked on at school by both teachers and students, a trial shared by countless children before him. Nobody thought it alarming; if anything, in the Japanese context, it was considered character-building, along with cramming for difficult exams or wearing shorts through the coldest of winters during elementary years. This was normal school life. But one day, that calm continuum was broken. The 14-year-old boy was suspended from school for fighting. To pass the days away from classes, he tortured cats and collected hunting knives. One long, idle afternoon, he invited a younger schoolmate out for some fun, luring the 11-year-old to a quiet hill where he strangled him and sawed off his head. The 14-year-old placed the severed head in a plastic bag and dropped it off at the gate of his school. A note stuffed in the younger boy's mouth read, "(This is) revenge against the compulsory education system and the society that created it." So began the deluge. In 1999, two years after the Kobe incident, a teenager stabbed and killed a seven-year-old boy on a school playground. A year after that, a 17-year-old boy who had endured taunts at school began bashing passersby with a baseball bat on one of Tokyo's busiest streets. Then it was the turn of other Asian countries. Last October in South Korea, where some child insurance policies now cover school violence, a 16-year-old boy surnamed Kim walked into his social studies class and fatally stabbed a boy who had picked on him. The same month in Hong Kong, seven-year-old Ng Dik-wai failed an exam in Chinese dictation, went home and leaped out of his high-rise apartment—earning him a place as among Asia's youngest education victims. The East Asian economic miracle was built on a number of sturdy pillars: hard work, high savings rates and Confucian values—in particular, an almost fanatical belief in the value of education. And for years, Asia could rest easy in the know-ledge that its school systems were producing the best and the brightest. Rising GDPs were proof, so were the calculus prodigies and engineers churned out by the millions. East Asian students almost always scored higher in international math and science tests—across the board, country by country—than their counterparts in the West. All you had to do was walk into an Asian classroom to see what they were doing right. Students were diligent, quiet, involved in copying down the daily lessons. It was nothing like the chaos of, say, American schools with the spitballs and pierced eyebrows and the emphasis on attitude with-a- capital-A. Education experts enjoined America's teachers to look East. The contrast isn't so stark anymore. Recent math and science test scores show U.S. students gaining ground on their counterparts in Asia. And with their rote-based curricula and examcentric systems, Asians are finding that even children who attend the very best public schools lack the creative skills to compete in a new, challenging information economy. Who can name more than a handful of famous East Asian scientists or mathematicians—if that many? And now, some of the ailments of the West have come East. The dropout phenomenon, once considered exclusively Western, has reached Asian shores: in 1999, a record 130,000 Japanese primary and junior high school students refused to attend school for more than a month. The trendiest neighborhoods in Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei are filled with disaffected kids playing hooky, their ennui relieved by designer drugs and designer shopping. Most alarming is the towering degree of unhappiness among Asian kids. Schools are suddenly plagued with record levels of violent crime and sky-high suicide rates. In Hong Kong, one in three teens have had suicidal thoughts, up 28% from two years ago. The number of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 in Thailand who commit suicide is second only to adult workers. Those children may be on the extreme edge, but some of the kids in the front rows are almost as unhappy and frustrated. "Something has gone very wrong with our schools," says Hiroshi Yoshimoto, a director in the education reform division of Japan's Education Ministry. "We all know we have to reform— yesterday." On Jan 4, 10:31 am, Isparklaria <[email protected]> wrote: > Here is more information from the internet about the relative lack of > originality on Japan. The article is from 2005. > > http://www.ace.lu.se/images/Syd_och_sydostasienstudier/working_papers... > > 3.3 Knowledge and the national innovation system > > Knowledge is the most important source of welfare, since it is the > only factor > of the economic production factors which can be increased. Therefore, > the > nation’s positioning of its innovation system is of central importance > for its > further economic development. > On the surface, the results of the Japanese innovation system are > good: > despite the long phase of economic weakness in the 90’s R&D activity > is high > (a development contrary e.g. to Germany), the R&D input in relation to > the > GNP is with 3.25% higher than in the US or the EU (with 2.67% and > 1.88%respectively), and its technology trade balance is positive too > (below the > US, but higher than Germany) (compare for details Kevenhörster, Pascha > und > Shire 2003). Nevertheless, deep-routed problems exist: the Japanese > innovation system is characterized by incremental process innovation, > by > diffusion and dissemination and by a long-termed learning along > vertical cooperation. > In other words: the inward orientation is as in the labour market > relatively strong; even intra-firm cooperation is no real external co- > operation > since suppliers are often in fact part of an enterprise group. > Compared to this, > external co-operation e.g. with universities as suppliers of original > knowledge > is underdeveloped, as well as the transfer of knowledge out of > universities into > enterprises. All characteristics that seem to be the reason for the > success of > Japanese companies in the 90’s seem to hinder today the development of > radical innovation. Therefore, Japan’s world wide share of R&D > intensive > goods is low: Its share in world trade of knowledge-intensive goods > (goods > with a share of research & development of more than 3.5% of the > turnover) is > about 14%, in contrast to the US with about 21%. This is especially > impressive since in 1992, the share of the US and Japan was with > 18-19% still > about the same (BMBF 2000)7. > > The software industry with its low share in the world market is one of > the > knowledge-intensive industries in which Japan’s competitiveness is > weak. This > might be dangerous since the ICT industry, in which is the software > industry > is part of, is assessed by the OECD (2001) as a “driver of growth”, > and by > other authors as a new general purpose technology. It seems to be > risky not to > be present in this industry. ICT needs standardized interfaces, open > coordination > and a flexible combination of modules. The dominant design of > Japanese industrial organisation is almost the opposite of these needs > since > Japanese enterprise groups (keiretsu) are characterized by group- > specific, > integral-closed structures – an observation which led Anchordoguy > (2000) to > the question whether the poor success of Japan’s software industry is > a failure > of institutions. If one follows the thesis that important new > industries such as > biotechnology require similar open structures, then the > competitiveness of > Japan can indeed be questioned (compare too: Lynn/Kishida, > forthcoming; > Baldwin, 2001; Kokuryô, 1997). > Another indicator which is often used to assess the dynamics of an > economy > is the entrepreneurial climate in a society. According to the ranking > of the > Institute for Management Development, in this respect Japan is ranked > lowest > (No. 49). Indeed, the number of companies has been shrinking in Japan > for > several years (figure 5). Even if an equalisation of the start-up rate > and > innovation is problematic since it excludes the fact that start-ups > are not > necessarily innovative , but often franchised companies in retailing > or services > without innovative potential, the low level of start-ups can be > interpreted as a > signal of a deficit in pushing through radical innovations; moreover, > it reduces > chances in the creation of employment. > > On Jan 4, 10:14 am, Isparklaria <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Orn and all, > > > Having not lived in Japan, I can only form my opinion of the second > > hand. One of my sources was a Japanese acquaintance of mine. He came > > to the USA with his wife and children so that his children could get > > what he considered a real education. His children were attending a > > private school that had the goal of eventually teaching them to think > > for them selves. He told me about the Japanese educational system. It > > was based almost entirely on rote learning. Unfortunately much of > > American education is now almost all rote learning. I happen to work > > as a substitute teacher, so, at least within the schools I work in, > > this is the case. Hideki and his wife, Yuko, also told me about > > Japanese after school cram schools. As if six hours of rote learning > > weren't enough, many children went for another four to six hours of > > after school "cram school". This leaves little or no time for creative > > activity such as authentic play (exploration). > > > Below is another link to an article from 2004 that backs up my > > statement. I have not taken the time to read more than the abstract, > > which I have pasted in after the link. I have read other articles > > about Japan's lack of creativity and also the lack of creativity in > > some other far eastern nations. One example of this lack of creativity > > is that although their universities produce first-rate technicians > > with PhD degrees, they produce few scientific innovators. How are they > > dealing with this problem? For the most part, they are doing what they > > always do, which is copy someone else's system that already get the > > results, In this case it is mostly America's system. In my opinion > > they are still afraid to improvise, to step into the unknown or even > > attempt a seriously different permutation of their own current > > approach. Although studying and copying the creativity developing ways > > of others is not a total waste, to really be creative one must be > > willing to fall flat on ones face, rather than proceed with caution. > > This is true for developing creativity enhancing educational methods > > also. Without his leap into the unknown, they will only be a modified > > copy of America, and that is not being creative. > > >http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/asiarpt121.pdf > > JUNE 2004 > > > ABSTRACT: The Japanese government is in the midst of economic and > > educational reforms to > > enhance creativity and boost national competitiveness. In this report, > > three experts explore and > > evaluate these unprecedented measures.According to Gerald Hane, Japan > > has already made some > > progress in removing obstacles to entrepreneurship, allowing > > innovators to benefit from their > > ideas, and improving worker mobility—although ample room for > > improvement remains. Akiko > > Hashimoto argues that deeply embedded social hierarchies stifle the > > creativity of Japan’s young > > people.Youths should be brought into the reform process because > > creativity cannot be stimulated > > through top-down regulation, she contends. Misao Hayakawa warns that > > Japan may go too > > far in emphasizing choice and individualism at the expense of > > standards. He maintains that higher > > education has been more successful than lower education in > > implementing reforms that are > > meaningful and measurable. > > > http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/asiarpt121.pdf > > > On Jan 3, 10:26 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Ish, I was sure that you had some backing for your beliefs…you often > > > do. And, in general, I have found your posting to be rather even > > > handed and somewhat insightful. > > > > This said, in this one instance, I find what I understand to be your > > > view to be to be far from the case. > > > > Without belaboring the issue, I referenced your words “they..lack > > > creativity” as being ‘in some ways’ not close to reality. I also just > > > referenced your words about the Japanese “…originallity is almost non > > > existant…”. I will add directly here that such an assertion appears > > > absurd to me. > > > > You replied to my using the term ‘Eastern cultures’ with “By the way, > > > I did not say that all eastern cultures produce few creative > > > individuals.” I agree. That is not what you said nor what I implied > > > you said nor is it what you appear to be refuting now. > > > > I retain my original view and clearly say that what you have > > > referenced in your last two posts does nothing at all to disparage > > > this view. I invite all to read them and form their own conclusions. > > > > On Jan 2, 8:51 pm, Isparklaria <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Here is another highly revealing article about Japanese Culture. It is > > > > over 16 years old but that doesn't matter, in my opinion. > > > > >http://www.newint.org/issue231/nail.htm > > > > > new internationalist > > > > issue 231 - May 1992 > > > > > The nail that sticks out > > > > Conformists belong, non-conformists and ethnic minorities get hammered > > > > in Japan. > > > > John Charles and Peter Mallat unravel Japanese groupthink. > > > > > 'SHIGOTO ARIMASUKA?' pesters the tall, dark-skinned man at the railway > > > > exit. He bows incongruously, imitating the mannerisms of the culture > > > > he envies. 'Sir, Sir... do you have a job for me?' > > > > > He is an Iranian day-labourer, doing the hard, dirty jobs now scorned > > > > by almost all Japanese. After getting one day's work he prowls > > > > endlessly in search of the next, before bedding down for the night in > > > > a local park. Sleeping rough is his only option since the local > > > > flophouse was closed by the authorities. For the most part they cause > > > > him little trouble. The indifference of the public is, he says, almost > > > > worse.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
