2007-11-08, 23:14 | Link #321 | |
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At least the stereotype of Japanese and German education being composed of strict, wrote-memorization and regurgitated facts isn't all bad: As I told a German friend, we lazy Americans need some one to take our inventions and then build them right.
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2007-11-09, 00:06 | Link #324 |
勇者
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tesla Leicht Institute
Age: 34
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Only thing that I will criticize on Japanese education will be with their histroy. Though I do think that the way they teach history in East Asia is kind of bad since it only teaches them to only to learn and not to think on the subject as much.
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2007-11-09, 00:10 | Link #325 |
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How is the west's teaching more pro-learning?
I've taken history from both sides. They're about the same. And really, pre-high school, the classes are pretty much taught the same way. Massive data cramming comes from college entrance, which is high fucking pressure because of what it is in Japan. |
2007-11-09, 00:19 | Link #326 | |
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2007-11-09, 02:14 | Link #327 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
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Hmmm, I believe the thread is about japanese culture (not just their educational system) so we shouldn't steer to far into one specific aspect or another... for very long at least.
I've seen some pretty lame teaching of history in the West (no thinking! only rightthinking and regurg!) so sweeping generalizations can be inaccurate. On the other hand, the Okinawans recently demonstrated that not everyone agrees on history even within Japan.
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2007-11-09, 02:15 | Link #328 | |
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2007-11-09, 02:29 | Link #329 | |
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He was very subjectively pro-confederate while teaching the American Civil War, and when covering the Vietnam War, he repeatedly insisted that US did not "lose" the war, they simply retreated. The man's real job was a coach for the school's football team, btw. So to hyperlion: Western history classes does not "do better job" than those in the east.
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2007-11-09, 04:23 | Link #330 | |
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I have taken history lessons in both Japanese and American and both seemed biased to each other's advantage and debating pre-WW2 history it is a complete bi-polar argument.
Japanese education does not handle much of it and the US handles it so much from the American's view it really is narrow from my point of view. The western side ignores on how white supremacy affected judgement during that period. Yes it teaches what had happened but it does not go into depth on why it happened. I know I am basing my opinion on knowlege I accumulated 20 odd years ago but I really do not think it had much changed. Quote:
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2007-11-09, 08:15 | Link #331 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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The japanese style of long and patient consensus building has its advantages and disadvantages (in meetings ). I do work with japanese national customers and partners in some of my contract work and end up having to advise my american peers at times on their "loud, rash, and noisy" techniques that alarm the japanese
(and vice versa). Consensus building always takes longer... and more frequently results in nothing but turf being protected rather than innovation. But then I've seen a parallel problem in large American corporate structures. The smaller corporations and such tend to be more nimble creatures who succeed more famously (but also fail spectacularly).
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2007-11-09, 11:39 | Link #332 | |
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I've spent half my life in Japan, and half my life in US. (about 16 years each in both) So I have good understanding of both cultures, and its advantages and shortcumings. Probably more so than most people in either countries. When I make fun of Americans OR Japanese, I'm really making fun of myself.
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2007-11-09, 15:07 | Link #333 | ||
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2007-11-09, 16:43 | Link #334 |
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The schools in my district (a small town in north NJ) have been a lot more about writing/thinking than about testing/memorization. History classes are largely about testing during earlier grades but by high school testing is a much smaller part of the class and the tests we do have are usually more about writing. I think I've written more essays in my history classes than I have in my English classes.
But my high school is probably in the top 10 or 5% in the country for public high schools because my town is rich, which brings me to my next question about schools in Japan... In America, how good schools are in a school district is largely about how rich the school district is. Towns with lots of wealthy people will usually have lots of money going into the town's schools, so the schools will consequently be among the best of public schools. Towns with mostly poor people will usually have small amounts of money going into the town's schools, and consequently the schools will usually be of poorer quality. The difference between good public schools and bad public schools can be GIGANTIC within the same state, and consequently the achievements gaps between the rich and poor are huge in education. Does Japan have an educational system like this where children of richer people are given better education than children of poorer people? I'm asking about public schooling foremost; but am also interested to know what private schools can do for people of the various socioeconomic backgrounds. |
2007-11-09, 17:36 | Link #335 | |
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Also the education curriculum is fairly regulated by the national board of education so what is taught should not vary from one area to the next. In other words, it is much a cookie cutter type education system. One thing I like to say in defence about history classes in Japanese schools is that Japan has a long history, about 1500 years in recorded history so it takes time to cover it and then we have to spend about the same time to cover world history again 1500 years so you don't get much time to do in details of a certain era. Memorizing all the dates, names of people, places, treaties and so on, is a pain and more over it is completely a rushed job but I guess it can't be helped if you want to give an overall view of history. |
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2007-11-09, 20:44 | Link #336 | |
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Or are you saying this from completely western standpoint? If it's the former, I would repect it. But if it's the latter, it would be bit of an arrogant form of prejudice. Not that I'm any less guilty of it.
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2007-11-09, 21:13 | Link #337 | |
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2007-11-09, 22:01 | Link #338 |
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Ahh, John Locke reminds me of IPR laws and how it has problems when it comes to joint inventions, but that's another story.
I guess it is only natural for a country to paint itself as good an image as possible. I don't agree with this at all but it is the reality. I was in the Japanese education system until Primary 2 and we were told/watched various stories based on the "war". Basically, all us kids knew was that Japan was in a war in the past and got bombed badly, killing lots of families and civilians. Me, being a cynic take this to be the start of the "brainwashing" process (which I hear so much about but never had the chance to experience it myself) by first invoking the emotional feelings of little kids. What we see and learn as kids unconsciously form our adult personalities and opinions in the future. Now, I like Imperial War Museums and checking out controversies. My parents were far less than amused when I felt like checking out Yasukuni so I didn't. Since this seems biased against Japan, let me remind you of an earlier post about the USA simply "withdrawing" from the Vietnam War. Another form of "brainwash". Happens everywhere. For the record, I'm a Hong Konger who grew up in Japan for 5 years, UK for 2.5 years, and Hong Kong for 10 years. I'm now back in the UK, as an undergrad. Edit: To add to the topic, the world is a whole mix of a countless number of people, races and culture with a hugely diverse history. I believe no one culture is superior to the other. Every country and culture has its pros and cons. Hong Kong is a highly efficient city criticised for its lack of innovation. The UK on the other hand is very artistic, "loose" and more creative but nowhere near as efficient as Hong Kong. |
2007-11-09, 22:02 | Link #339 | |||
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Last edited by Terrestrial Dream; 2007-11-09 at 22:18. |
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2007-11-09, 22:53 | Link #340 | ||||
eyewitness
Join Date: Jan 2007
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I detect some lack of critical thinking here.
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Oh, and if you asked a German in the street about education in Japan then his very loosely fact-based prejudice would probably be that it is "being composed of strict, wrote-memorization and regurgitated facts". And depending on if he's more right-leaning or more left-leaning he'd probably add that it is a shame that Japanese kids learn so eagerly while ours slacking around or that it is a shame that the Japanese only teach useless facts to their children instead of teaching them how to think. That all looks pretty familiar to you, I guess. And furthermore, Quote:
So bottom line: stones - glasshouse, speck - eye - plank. Quote:
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culture, discussion, japan, japanese culture |
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