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Q: Education... do we take it for granted?
Chatting with a human of the XX chromosome persuasion this morning and she got me thinking (rare, I know), but do we just take education for granted? Most if not all of us on here have lived lives milling around that place affectionately known as Academia Town and most all of the folks we have known, grew up with, have also. So, do we just assume without questioning that because we know about X, everyone else knows that too?
She stated* that it doesn't snow in the US. "US has no snow right?"
Really? Can someone grow up so uniformed about the basics of life on Earth? How? I'm confused. What should we do about it? I thought with the easy access to information provided in the Digital Age that the youth were just naturally receiving a well-rounded education.
*I know it was sort of phrased as a question, but believe me she put it out there more as a statement.
5 years 11 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
Yeah I've seen stunning examples of ignorance, usually regarding anything not strictly academic.
Chinese generally have no clue about things like how anything natural works such as weather, food chains, ecosystems etc. I've found them to be just as ignorant when it comes to the world outside of China except for a few generalisations or one off facts - NZ is green, Australia has kangaroos, Americans are rascist Christians, Japanese are evil, South Africans are all black etc...
But I think that's mostly because no importance is put on learning half the stuff we learn in schools. It's seen as useless. The average Chinese kid probably couldn't point to Europe on a map but she/ he would dominate any maths class in probably most western countries.
And then there's the political indoctrination. How much time is wasted drilling Marxist quotes and stuff about China's glorious 5000 year history which proves they're the master race and that every other country is jealous of China so is trying to stop China from claiming its rightful place as ruler of the world etc etc.
I remember a conversation I had where I mentioned how when I was at school every kid learned basic kitchen, sewing, wood and metal work skills as well as extra interesting optional things like rock climbing, kayaking, target shooting, basic camping, orientation, swimming etc. School camps were great fun. I was told that was all a waste of time, when Chinese kids go on a school camp they just do more classwork and the parents think that's great. P.E is only because the school needs to make sure the kids get some exercise and don't get too obese - it's not supposed to be fun in any way.
Different priorities. I know where I'd rather be a kid and where I'd rather raise a kid but to each their own I suppose. In a fiercely competitive environment I can sort of see how a parent would rather have their kid subjected to five hours on a Saturday learning algebra than being taught where precipitation comes from.
diverdude1:
Yeah, I grew up where there were all of those electives too. Seemed to make good sense to me to try for the ol' 'well-rounded' education. But after being in China all these years I can also identify with the belief that only the practical skills are required.
Still, my jaw just hit the floor when she said that. Thank goodness I caught myself before I made some snarky retort. 'Umm, you are aware that the USA occupies 40+% of the continent of North America? The largest state of the US, Alaska, extends well into the Arctic. Yeah, but nowhere in the 9.1 million square km of landmass does it snow. Did you have to practice to get that stupid, or did it just come naturally?'
icnif77:
Someone must step on the girl's side here-o ... 
One must know, that once you're persistently rote learning ... not much of the logic is necessary/involved/required. 
I am not sure about my 'granted education', buTT ... I could tell off the bat about approximate yearly weather conditions just in any place on Earth.
diverdude1:
yeah, same here,,, didn't they get the basics about the idea of the equator and how it probably is generally cooler the further u get from it?
icnif77:
Equator? Is the 'equator' included in big-Chino-history?
If you read the news (as moi ...), you would know, Illinois, Michigan and area was slammed by arctic weather yesterday:
9 Dead As 'Polar Vortex' Leaves 11 States Colder Than North Pole ; Hell (Literally) Freezes Over
Yeah I've seen stunning examples of ignorance, usually regarding anything not strictly academic.
Chinese generally have no clue about things like how anything natural works such as weather, food chains, ecosystems etc. I've found them to be just as ignorant when it comes to the world outside of China except for a few generalisations or one off facts - NZ is green, Australia has kangaroos, Americans are rascist Christians, Japanese are evil, South Africans are all black etc...
But I think that's mostly because no importance is put on learning half the stuff we learn in schools. It's seen as useless. The average Chinese kid probably couldn't point to Europe on a map but she/ he would dominate any maths class in probably most western countries.
And then there's the political indoctrination. How much time is wasted drilling Marxist quotes and stuff about China's glorious 5000 year history which proves they're the master race and that every other country is jealous of China so is trying to stop China from claiming its rightful place as ruler of the world etc etc.
I remember a conversation I had where I mentioned how when I was at school every kid learned basic kitchen, sewing, wood and metal work skills as well as extra interesting optional things like rock climbing, kayaking, target shooting, basic camping, orientation, swimming etc. School camps were great fun. I was told that was all a waste of time, when Chinese kids go on a school camp they just do more classwork and the parents think that's great. P.E is only because the school needs to make sure the kids get some exercise and don't get too obese - it's not supposed to be fun in any way.
Different priorities. I know where I'd rather be a kid and where I'd rather raise a kid but to each their own I suppose. In a fiercely competitive environment I can sort of see how a parent would rather have their kid subjected to five hours on a Saturday learning algebra than being taught where precipitation comes from.
diverdude1:
Yeah, I grew up where there were all of those electives too. Seemed to make good sense to me to try for the ol' 'well-rounded' education. But after being in China all these years I can also identify with the belief that only the practical skills are required.
Still, my jaw just hit the floor when she said that. Thank goodness I caught myself before I made some snarky retort. 'Umm, you are aware that the USA occupies 40+% of the continent of North America? The largest state of the US, Alaska, extends well into the Arctic. Yeah, but nowhere in the 9.1 million square km of landmass does it snow. Did you have to practice to get that stupid, or did it just come naturally?'
icnif77:
Someone must step on the girl's side here-o ...
One must know, that once you're persistently rote learning ... not much of the logic is necessary/involved/required.
Alas, ignorance (not knowing something one might not be expected to know) and nescience (not knowing something one definately should know) are not exclusive to China. I think, in fact, that some aspects of the Chinese school system are admirable. That said, the product of any education is largely shaped by the educators' intent. China's school system aims to produce good scores on the Gaokao. That's a good thing for a village student whose best chance to advance in this society is to attend a good university. It may not produce the most rounded world view -- but neither does the idelogially driven "liberal" education now in vogue in the US (where the majority of students cannot identify thier home city on an unlabeled map of the USA, and nealy all students can incorrectly identify CO2 as the most potent Greenhouse Gas).
A good thing for this society that there are some kids, maybe about 0.01 % of the kids, that are able to use better judgement and think outside the box. It is hard to believe that a highschool kid who must spend 10 hours a day 6 days a week in the classroom can do anything other than what he is told to do. Most high school students don't know why they are learning something. The other day my students surprised me by indicating they didn't know what the abacus did, nor where it came from. That is just one example of not having access to a well rounded education. They are told they must get the only answer even though it may be obvious that there is more than one answer.After teaching in Universities, colleges, and middle schools in China, I think we in the west take education for granted.
diverdude1:
I hear you. That, along with other things, drives me to make Certain that I am not going the 'rote' mode. Lord, but I despise that! semi-grown-ups in a university seem to have so little interest in the world,,,, makes me wonder what they do? Sit around and wonder/worry when the next 'Avengers' film comes out? System here seems broken to me, at least regarding the Liberal Arts.......
