American Education _ Characteristics of American Education

Characteristics of foreign education

At the end of October, we made a two-week education study tour in the United States at the invitation of the experimental school by the Foreign Education Exchange Association of the Preparatory College for Overseas Studies, funded by the Ministry of Education, and entrusted by President Jangdo. This trip to the United States has further broadened the ideas and channels for the development of international education in our school and strengthened our confidence and determination to vigorously develop international education.

In a few days, we visited the educational development modes of six cities, including San Francisco, Washington, Philadelphia, new york and Los Angeles. Besides listening to university professors and government officials explaining the American educational system and school system, we also visited two universities, a high school, a junior high school, a primary school and a vocational and technical school in the United States, and got a better understanding of American and American education.

1. American education embodies democracy and legal system.

The management of basic education in the United States is democratically elected by local residents, from the establishment of institutions to the appointment and dismissal of members to the expenditure. This organizational form can better reflect the will or desire of community people (that is, parents of students) for school education, and make education truly something that ordinary people can care about. In the appointment and removal of teachers and the choice of courses, students, as the main body, have an absolute say. In classroom teaching, the United States mostly adopts the form of small class system and cooperative learning in groups, so that students can study in a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

In the United States, it is illegal for parents not to take care of their children after school, to allow students to play outside school during school hours, and to beat and scold their children. It is not only parents who are bound by the law, but also schools should bear legal responsibilities. For example, small classes in the United States are protected by law. California law clearly stipulates that there should be no more than 2 students in a class in the first and second grades of primary school, and no more than 3 students in the third grade or above. Otherwise, it is illegal, and parents can sue the school in court.

2. The classroom and curriculum settings greatly reflect humanity

The classroom layout in American schools is very modern and personalized. In the classroom, you can see various models, production materials, reference materials and other discipline-related facilities, and many classrooms are workshops, workshops and exhibition rooms, which can let students learn intuitively. Physics, chemistry and other disciplines are the combination of classroom and laboratory, which is both beautiful and practical.

Since junior high school, students have been "running classes". They can choose courses and teachers according to their own needs or interests. Auto repair, photography, cooking, pottery and other contents closely related to students' lives are included in the elective courses.

In the teaching process, almost all concepts and principles of physics, chemistry and biology in middle schools are visualized and gamified.

Children can understand and experience these profound concepts and principles through videos, courseware and interactive games.

3. extravagant and thrifty education funds

education in the United States is extravagant. This is not only reflected in the fact that most of its schools have sophisticated modern facilities (some private schools even have high-standard concert halls or performance centers), but also in the fact that it provides free school bus transfers for all primary and secondary school students, free textbooks with exquisite production and exquisite decoration, and free lunches and even free school uniforms for poor students.

American education is frugal at the same time. In many schools, teachers are still using ordinary optical projectors; Students' textbooks are usually used for more than five years; According to the receptionist, his children went to junior high school and started school with books, all of which were free. But when I got it, it was all used books by others. When I opened it, I found that there were at least 1 names of former employees left on the title page, and there was an "agreement" explanation attached with the book, which stated the price of the book, and said that the damage or loss should be compensated at the original price, and then signed.

IV. Characteristics of American education

1. Basic education emphasizes quality but ignores knowledge

The schools in the basic education in the United States are all in good condition, with complete facilities and sufficient books and materials. Generally, school ends at 2: 45 pm, and students can participate in various interest groups. American high school students take part in sports training, such as baseball, football, rugby, basketball and swimming. The competitions between schools are frequent, forming a unique culture. Sports specialty students are favored by universities. An athlete who applies for a university has an advantage over ordinary students in admission, so fitness is an activity that American middle school students are keen on.

2. There is little pressure to go to college

The way of enrolling new students in American colleges and universities is not determined by an exam. They adopt the "college entrance examination"+usual grades+ranking. In addition, you should also consider your participation in social activities and your personal strengths. The "College Entrance Examination" in the United States is a standardized examination all the year round, which is held seven times a year. Candidates can take any or even every exam according to their own situation. It is worth noting that being a "volunteer", that is, what we call comprehensive social practice, is a necessary condition for university admission. The general requirement is that volunteers in senior high school for four years have accumulated more than 6 hours. When choosing courses, the University Admissions Office will also pay great attention to students' motivation and psychology in choosing courses. Generally, universities tend to choose students with all-round development.

3. Community colleges play a buffer role

There are no national universities in the United States, and public universities are state universities and community colleges (or community colleges). Community college is a two-year program, which is generally invested by the state government. The tuition fees are relatively cheap, and the requirements for students' grades are not high. You can go after graduating from high school. State universities, on the other hand, have performance requirements. Most of the contents studied in community colleges are vocational skills, which can be directly employed after graduation, and those with good grades can also be promoted to four-year universities. Therefore, this kind of community college has opened up a channel for poor students, and also eased the pressure of entering higher schools in high schools, which has played a regulating role in this relationship between supply and demand.

This investigation made us deeply feel that in this information age, possession of information is the greatest wealth. We are delighted to learn that since January 1st, 29, more than 6 primary and secondary schools in the United States will open their study abroad markets to Chinese mainland, and it is not necessary to go to universities in the United States through so-called intermediary, friendly inter-school communication and internet communication. Another experience is that "how big a person's mind is, how big the stage is." "Nothing is impossible, only unexpected." We should put ourselves in the perspective of "global people and global village" to capture information, get ready and take the first step! Fortunately, under the leadership of President Zhang, we took the lead. Through this trip, we mastered the ways and methods to study in the United States and ensured the realization of our students' desire to study in the United States. Let's work together to create a precedent for international education in Longjiang.