Difference between China and America in education

Difference between China and America in education

As we all known, education plays an important role in our future. However, different countries have their own education systems. China and America are the two symbols.

First of all, the difference between the two countries is the goal of elementary education. Chinese elementary education aims to build the foundation with more study and less thinking while American elementary education aims to build such an education to cultivate children’s creativity with less study and more thinking. Because of this kind of difference, American students are more creative than Chinese students.

Secondly, China and America have totally different tradition on exams. Chinese education focuses on the knowledge to accumulate and indoctrinate, on how students use and manage the knowledge they learned at school and on how to understand the knowledge system and structure. Reversely, America cares more about how students use knowledge in society. It lets student challenge the knowledge, animadvert ideas and focus on, exploit or create knowledge. These two types of attitude about education show us the different ways to understand knowledge, and also to show two countries with different education opinions.

Thirdly, the subjects that students need to learn are different. In America, most secondary schools offer the same “core” of required subjects: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and physical education. Students are guided by school counselors in choosing electives, which can range from specialized academic to vocational subjects. However, in China, students have no freedom to choose what they want to learnt. From primary school to high school, the students study what they are supposed to study. They have to carry a load of books to school and to learn the subjects that they are no interested in. When Chinese students are in high school, they need to elect what kind of subject they want to learn. This is what we call art subject and science subject. In fact, this kind of classification has it bad effect. It makes students have a tendency to go overboard on their art or science subjects when they are in Grade One. It will make Chinese students lack a sense of art or science.

Finally, styles of parenting in China and America also differ from each other and this makes the ways of education different. Published in 2011, the book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, shows us a great difference between China and America in parenting. The writer, Ms Chua, used her traditional Chinese parenting style to raise her two daughters. According to Ms Chua,

she thinks Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility. Parents in China usually demand excellence from their children. When the children fail to meet the expectation, parents would insult the children. Maybe it represents a traditional way of parenting among Chinese parents seeking a better future for their children. However, in America, parents often have low expiations of their children. Parents in America want their children to do what they want to do. This helps them to release children nature.

Education is culture, and different education show different societies’ culture. The good American education system may not be good for Chinese society. So, different education has to follow the society backgrounds and different culture helps humans create different countries in the world. American education should follow the American culture and Chinese education also needs to follow the Chinese culture.

It is difficult to say which one is better because the one which meets the needs of the society is the best, especially in China. All we should do is to treat the two education systems rationally and take the advantage of other good methods to perfect our education system.