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Q: Does the school workload affect developing brains?
Having just read another post about the hours some very young children spend in school I remembered being told in the UK that children's/teenager's brains need a certain number of hours sleep every night to develop properly. Given the time that children here need to be at school, the number of hours in the school day and the amount of homework given, plus any additional classes or study programs the parents may have lined up for their children does anyone think that this has a detrimental effect on their development. Is this a reason why we hear many people say Chinese do not think they just regurgitate what they are told. If this level of work does affect mental development then what of the future?
11 years 30 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
All work and no play makes Chen a dull boy.
I think time for socializing outside of the school environment is important. They simply don't get enough. Also, having sufficient rest, and time to play is needed too. Having more time for one's own thoughts, reflecting, and being creative, or for learning about things of self interest and about things and matters outside of China.
I think these things are important for healthy brain development.
the answer is clearly yes. sleep deprivation is a tool to torture people for a reason. and the long term effects of sleep deprivation on young children is the equivalent of mental retardation. in people whose brains are already developed sleep deprivation causes brain damage in the long run, so you can imagine the effects on a child.
the kids do spend a lot of time in school but they have plenty of breaks through out the day and get an average 8 hours sleep a day
It certainly effects mine, i'm working 15 hours a week and i'm exhausted. As for the students, I don't know, it certainly seems excessive but then I thought the workload in England was too much so I skipped school and spent my days in the park getting high. You know, like on the climbing frame and stuff. Pretty much anywhere I could really. But does it effect them in a negative way? I do often see kids dragging themselves here and there with a bag of books on their backs, but then i'm also very impressed with the amount of talented youths i've come across in China. For example i'm constantly amazed at how many wonderful pianists I hear from one apartment complex to the next as I move around Guangxi, it's incredible. Bit of a shame it's always classical and no-one's playing Jelly Roll Morton, but still...
For my part the only thing I feel I can realistically do as a foreigner in this country is laugh at them and tell them how much easier it was for me as a child. And try to make my lessons as fun for them as I possibly can.
I'm not a psychologist, but I did touch on Educational Psychology as part of my PGCE. I would have to say that it seems obvious that it must, but sometimes things are counter-intuitive especially when it comes to psychology. I would hope that the Chinese government would have listened to some real psychologists before implementing the educational policies they have, (however I'm not going to hold out too much hope in that direction).
That being the case it is our role as teachers, using Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a reason, to do our bit to minimise any damage, but how do you do that when your students are INCREASING their workload by coming to you?
It is also the reason why I will be leaving China with my family before my daughter enters high school. (10 years and counting).
