Want to know about American education? Might as well read this book.

Recently, the TV series "Little Separation" is very popular, and I am also chasing it. An important topic discussed reflects the educational needs of different working-class parents in China at present, that is, should children be sent abroad? Undoubtedly, the United States is the first choice for most parents to send their children abroad. Is American education good?

In fact, this question is not for me, a person who has not received a complete formal education in the United States, but I can talk about it in combination with a book and some recent observations. This book is Mr. Shen Ning's notes on American education survey-Cultivating Freedom. I think these four words just tell the idea that American education efforts are consistent.

Although Mr. Shen Ning said that this was only his observation of living in the United States for more than 30 years, it was only the opinion of a family. However, Mr. Shen Ning himself is a teacher in different public and private schools in the United States, and he is a witness to the American education system. In addition, as a parent's participation and record in the process of children's growth, he left these precious words and details for others to refer to, learn and observe. Such persistence is really hard to come by.

1. Kindergarten stage

In the United States, children usually enter kindergarten at the age of five. If there is no help from parents at home, foreigners will send their children to the nursery earlier. When you are young, you can call it a day care or kindergarten.

I recently talked to a mother with a child who is almost three years old. She said that she sent her children to a kindergarten with only 12 children. I realize that kindergartens in America don't need to be very big. For example, the kindergarten this child attended was run by a Frenchman at home. What can such a small kindergarten teach children?

According to Mr. Shen Ning's book, Americans believe that no matter what and how children play, they are learning consciously or unconsciously. Children in nurseries or kindergartens can choose to do what they want and play games they want, except for some prescribed group activities, such as telling stories, learning arithmetic, doing sports or eating. For example, those who like reading will read by the bookshelf, and those who like drawing will draw. Other children can play with building blocks and carts. In short, the school spends most of its time stimulating children's curiosity, imagination, creativity and self-confidence, and cultivating children's basic moral concepts such as acceptance, expression, team spirit, self-esteem and mutual love.

According to a friend, in addition to learning French, the child will play with other children there, which leads him to often find children to play with when he gets home, so that when we go to a friend's house, the baby will ask in advance if there will be any children to play today. Watching my friend's children play all the time, either playing with the drawing board or playing with various cookers in the homemade hut, is really the case.

Speaking of which, it reminds me that as long as I run around the park after school at night, I will always meet Indian mothers who accompany my children. These children are hardly old enough to go to primary school, playing football, fighting and skipping rope, but in the Chinese community, I rarely see Chinese children of school age.

Another time in the library, I met a brother who should have gone to middle school and his younger brother who went to kindergarten. Although my brother asked my brother to read children's books, my brother turned and ran away. When my brother came back again, holding a brush in his hand, he said nothing and patiently accompanied his brother to draw a circle. Although he only drew a big circle and another small circle, his brother always encouraged his younger brother to say, well done, well done. It makes people happy.

2. Primary school stage

Mr. Shen Ning's book does not record the whole stage of primary school separately, but we can still read something about primary school from different chapters and between the lines. For example, in the schedule, Mr. Shen Ning's son gets up at 6 o'clock in the sixth grade and goes to class at 8: 45. When he gets home at night, he needs to do his homework and complete other necessary activities, and doesn't go to bed until 9: 30 or even later. (Looks tired, too ...)

Let's start with an episode. When you run at night, you can see many Indian mothers, but compared with Chinese mothers, you can hardly see them. The friend said, first, it may be because many Chinese mothers need to go to work and can't take their children out to play. Second, it is probably to send children to various cram schools.

If we say that even if the schoolwork becomes heavier in primary schools, there is a phenomenon that will not appear because of the heavier schoolwork, and that is endorsement. In the words of American educators, two things are more important to people's creative ability than rote learning. One is where to find the needed knowledge, and the other is the ability to comprehensively use knowledge and make new creations.

For example, Mr. Shen Ning's children's primary school animal class is in the zoo, ocean class is at the seaside, and physics class is to go to the science and technology museum to see power, heat, sound, light and electricity. It can be said that all the time and space of life may be a classroom for learning.

When it comes to the cradle of scientists, we may think of it as a university. But Mr Shen Ning told us that the cradle of scientists is primary school. In the primary school stage in the United States, actively cultivating students' interest and foundation in science, such as holding scientific experiment exhibitions and scientific achievements exhibitions, is entirely voluntary, regardless of grades. The key point is not how complicated it is, but how to make it by children themselves, even if it is to cultivate a garlic by themselves, write an experimental report, or simulate the changes of the four seasons with light bulbs.

No wonder Mr. Shen Ning thinks that the fundamental goal of American school education, or the fundamental goal of American study and study, is not to recite and imitate, but to explore and create. No matter how excellent the craft is, a craftsman without creative thinking can't become a scientist. This not only reminds me of the "artisan spirit" that we have been advocating before. We really need craftsmanship, but do we need anything else?

3. Middle school stage

There are only two years in junior high school in the United States, grades 7 and 8, and four years in senior high school, from grade 9- 12. What classes do you usually take? I didn't get a general understanding until I finished reading the article "Curriculum of a Public Middle School".

Shen Ning's son's seventh-grade compulsory curriculum includes English, geography, science, mathematics and foreign languages, plus an elective course;

Compulsory courses for the eighth grade are: English, American history, physics, algebra, foreign languages, plus an elective course;

Compulsory courses in grade nine include: literature and writing, non-western civilization, biology, geometry, foreign languages, plus elective courses;

Compulsory courses in the tenth grade are: English literature, western civilization, chemistry, triangle, foreign languages, plus elective courses;

The eleventh grade is: American literature, American history, physics, calculus, foreign languages, plus elective courses;

The twelfth grade is: classical literature, government and economy, advanced science courses, advanced mathematics courses, foreign languages, plus elective courses.

Reading the schedule is really similar to the content of junior high school and senior high school we watched. Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physical chemistry and biology are also studied step by step. Read a lot of literary books, such as Mark Twain, Pearl Buck, Shakespeare, Hemingway, Orville, Dickens, Hugo and so on. They are all required books for students, and they have to write a report after reading them. Our Chinese textbooks also read all kinds of famous books at home and abroad, and then do all kinds of questions after reading them.

If you want to be really different, you still have to have a different attitude. After graduating from high school in the United States, there is no unified college entrance examination, and you can provide ACT or SAT. The former provides the total score, while the latter is divided into three independent test items: English, mathematics and writing. In the tenth grade of high school, you need to take the PSAT exam to test your learning ability and performance.

There are various elective courses in junior and senior high schools, such as computer, speech, art, drama, photography, sculpture, singing and so on. How to take elective courses? According to Mr. Shen Ning, his daughter took part in a mock debate class in the summer vacation of senior high school 1 1. The students have been busy for four months, that is, taking part in the inter-school debate competition. For this competition, not only the school training, but also the students need to go to the law firm for training, and finally the real judge will make the final decision in the real court.

For the participation in education, not only children themselves, but also families and society need to work hard to create conditions and create an environment, so it is not surprising that children are highly motivated.

summary

While reading this book, I tried to sum up some characteristics of American education mentioned in the book. These characteristics can't be said to be complete, but I am deeply impressed. I think it should do more good than harm to people's growth.

First, respect people's preferences and choices, and cultivate people's fun and confidence. From kindergarten, whether you like reading, playing football, arithmetic or drawing, you don't need to be unified, just develop in many ways.

Second, encourage hands-on, and it doesn't matter if you fail; Encourage thinking and allow different opinions to exist. Judging from the contents of various practices, it is strange to let children do it, but since they have tried, they must allow the possibility of failure; And children should not only do it, but also have ideas to do it. This is to encourage curiosity and ask questions, which belongs to children's nature.

Third, independence and self-control are very important, and so is the environment created by society. In the process of children's development, they will gradually know what they want and don't want. Parents can guide them. When they enter the school, teachers also guide students to get new methods to solve problems in the classroom. As for the support of schools and communities for students' education, it has also been said above. No wonder even in the United States, it is inseparable from the school district.

If the child really wants to be sent abroad, which link should he send? Is it better to send it as soon as possible? Teacher Wang did tell me that I have to be a good parent whether I send it or not. Yes, in the book, parents participate in children's education process, cultivate and encourage children's curiosity. If we are parents, we can do it. Will you tell your child "try again", "try again" and "this is good"?

Although this book is thin, it is still worth reading for parents or parents. If you think it's really suitable for children, it's not too late to send it abroad ~