UNIT 2
A.
A teacher from a Western country
recently visited an elementary school in an Asian country. In one class, she
watched sixty young children as they learned to draw a cat. The class teacher
drew a big circle on the black board, and sixty children copied it in on their
papers. The teacher drew a smaller circle on top of the first and then put two
triangles on top of it. The children drew in the same way. The lesson continued
until there were sixty-one identical cats in the classroom. Each student’s cat
looked exactly like the one on the board.
B.
The visiting teacher watched the lesson
and was surprised. The teaching methods were very different from the way of
teaching in her own country. A children’s art lesson in her own country
produced a room full of unique pictures, each one completely different from
others. Why? What causes this difference in educational methods? In a classroom
in any country, the instructor teaches more than art or history or language. He
or she also teaches culture (the ideas and beliefs of that society). Each
educational system is a mirror that reflects the culture of the society.
C.
In a society such as the United States
or Canada, which has many national, religious, and cultural differences, people
highly value individualism – the differences among people. Teachers place a lot
of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational
systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize
information. Instead, they work individually and find answer themselves. There
is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form
their own ideas and opinions.
D.
In most Asian societies, by contrast,
the people have the same language, history, and culture. Perhaps for this
reason, the educational systems in much of the Orient reflects society’s belief
in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China,
Japan, and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments. In
the classroom, the teaching methods are often very formal. The teacher
lectures, and the students listen. There is not much discussion. Instead, the
students recite rules or infomation that they have memorized.
E.
There are advantages and disadvantages
to both of these systems of education. For example, one advantage to the system
in Japan is that students there learn much more math and science than American
students learn by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day
and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but
it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control.
There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method
in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much
of the information that they have memorized.
F.
The advantage of educational system in
North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for
themselves. The system prepares them for society that values creative ideas.
There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from high school,
they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other
countries have.
Exercise I
Getting
the Main Ideas
Answer
the questions according to the reading selection. Which statements apply to
which system of education? Write W (Western)
or A (Asian). Don’t look back at the
reading.
1.
The teacher draws pictures that the children
copy exactly.
2.
Each child draws a different pictures; the
teacher helps individuals.
3.
The society value individualism highly.
4.
Students have to find information themselves,
and there is a lot of discussion.
5.
Most of the people in the country have the
same language, history, and culture.
6.
Students listen to the teacher and memorize
information and rules.
7.
The system prepares students for a society
that values discipline.
Exercise 2
Guessing
Meaning from Context
Find
the meanings of the bolded words in the sentences.
1.
A children’s art lesson produced a room full
of unique pictures, each one completely different from the others.
2.
The instructor also teaches the culture
(the ideas and beliefs of society).
3.
People highly value individualism – the differences among people.
4.
Most Asian societies value discipline, or self-control.
5.
The teacher drew a big circle on the
blackboard, and the children copied
it. Then she drew a smaller circle, and the class drew it the same way.
6.
The teaching
methods were very different from the way of teaching in her country.
Exercise 3
Understanding Reading Structure
A.
Paragraphs divide reading material into
topics. In the selection at the beginning of the chapter, there are letters
next to the six paragraphs each of which is usually about the topic. Match the
paragraphs with their topics and write the letters of the paragraph.
1. How Western school systems reflect the
value of individualism.
2. The
advantages and disadvantages of the North American system.
3. Reasons for differences in educational
systems.
4. How
Asian school systems reflect group goals.
5.
Introduction: A classroom in an Asian country.
6. The
advantages and disadvantages of Asian methods of education.
B. A reading may express one main idea. The main idea is the most
important idea of the reading: it
sums up the topics and the ideas of all the paragraphs. Bold the main idea of
the reading selection.
1. In elementary schools in Asia, children copy pictures of cats from
the blackboard.
2. There are advantages and disadvantages to different Educational
systems, which
reflect culture.
3. In a society such as the United States or Canada, teachers value
individualism highly.
4. Students from Japan can memorize information better than students
from United States can.
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