Recently, many parents have talked to their friends about international schools and found that many were interested in western education. So, what is the difference between eastern and western education systems?
Cultural aspects
Traditional Eastern culture is mainly based on “Confucianism,” so respect for tradition is required. Confucianism emphasizes ethics, which is intertwined with our traditional thoughts, and we need to follow them. Western culture originates from ancient Greek philosophy and its democratic system. Scientific thinking emphasizes speculation and questioning, while the democratic system emphasizes individual freedom, autonomy, and equality.
Education objectives
Culture and institutions influence what we want to do. The same goes for education. For Chinese education, the goal of education is to be obedient and to study well. Chinese universities also select students based on “gaokao” scores. Gaokao is the Chinese term for the National College Entrance Examination. These gaokao scores have also become KPIs for school teachers. Western education goals are also influenced by western culture, requiring students to have critical thinking and independent ability.
In Chinese traditional education, students are made obedient starting from the first day of school. Students are not equal to teachers. Both the environment and the language constantly remind the students that the teacher is hierarchically above them. The picture below shows obviously that the teacher is in the center (teacher-centered education); he is not on equal terms with students. As a result, schools in China do not create an environment where students are allowed to question things in the first place.
Western education makes the students feel that they and their teachers can jointly get involved in discussions in order to create an environment where the students can think and ask questions freely. In fact, both parties have equal rights to discuss and exchange ideas, and the students and their needs will be prioritized (student-centered approach to education).
References
( https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED129097ents )
( google link)
( https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/163735103)
