【Chat】When it comes to education...

[慶煙 10]

yeah, I have this kind of question all the time.

Student and Teacher

which one is more important when it comes to GOOD education quality?

or....If wanting to learn certain thing well, which one is more important? student? or Teacher?

my thought is.......I tend to believe that TEACHER is absolutely more important than Student.

I know that students also play a very important role in this situation.......

Students' ability(how good you are in each subjects), attitude(whether you want to learn more or just try to pass every exam by cheating), curiosity(how often you ask "Why?"),etc.

BUT!!!!

Teachers are like....the leader of all the students.

It's not surprised that teachers are often secretly imitated by students.

Because most of students meet their teachers at a very young age such as 7 or 8.

At that age, you don't even have any "acceptable" judgement ability to say whether you like the way your teacher teach you or the things that they tell you.

All you do is to accept them, to adjust yourself, to be in the one of "good kid" that others tell you.

As the time pass, you have been transformed into a shape which can be accepted by most of teachers or people or friends around you.

Do you really think that all the thing teacher tell you is more important than the opinion you have?Or....what kind of stuff make you feel like your thought is"actually not that good" comparing to those who have more life-experience than you?

I want to hear you guys opinion and thought about which one is more important.......

Students or Teacher???

此內容已被編輯, March 9, 2013 ,由 慶煙

[MikiRei 10]

To me, a "good" education rely on 3 things:

- sound government policies

- competent teachers

- positive parental support

Government's education policies can make or break the education culture of a country.

For example, if the government creates an education policy that is solely based on passing exams, then you create a culture where people only focus on passing the exams as both parents and teachers are forced to put their focus on exams. Students will then, also place their focus on passing exams only.

It's a trickle down effect. Whether or not the above policy is sound is the question so it's paramount for the government to create policies that will encourage or steer the culture towards a positive learning environment.

Competent teachers, in my eyes, are teachers that are unafraid of being challenged. They are willing to listen to students and encourage students to think outside the box and explore beyond the curriculum. There's a lot more to this of course, but you get the gist.

As for parents, I find them to be extremely important. I teach piano on Saturdays and the difference between students who have parents who are willing to spend their time to make sure their kids work hard and parents who don't are like night and day. It doesn't even matter whether one student is "smarter" than the other. The one that doesn't work will be the one that eventually fail. At a young age, self-discipline is non-existent. If it exist, it also need to be maintained.

I find students who become self-disciplined, or become BETTER at being self-disciplined, are usually the ones with parents that are determined and are willing to spend the time to support their child towards becoming self-sufficient.

Of course, balance is required. Over-controlling parents usually do worse on their kids than better.

Finally, I think all of the above need to work "together". Government policies need to support teachers, students and parents. Parents and teachers need to work together just as parents and teachers need to work with students.

It's a balance between all of the above.

Also, watch this video:

此內容已被編輯, March 19, 2013 ,由 MikiRei

[jamieevren1210 10]

^Agreed.

Taiwanese parents for some reason are too much like hovering choppers instead of being supportive and positive. That really spoils the entire learning experience IMHO

Teachers on the other hand should receive additional training free of charge from the government. When I was in middle school there weren't ANY qualified earth sci teachers. All of them were phys and chem teachers who taught themselves ninth grade earth sci.....it's actually quite terrifying if you think about it.

To answer the OP's question, ultimately I think that STUDENTS should learn how to learn on their own. Anything else should come after that. Even college entrance tests.

I really don't think changing the policies would make any difference. The politicians just don't understand the huge gap between policies and parents' mindsets. Just look at how PISA cram schools are sprouting out like mushrooms. It's a cultural thing and you really can't change collective thinking in a decade. Or two. Or even more.

[MikiRei 10]

I really don't think changing the policies would make any difference. The politicians just don't understand the huge gap between policies and parents' mindsets

I slightly disagree on that. Looking at all the Nordic countries (e.g. Sweden, Finland etc.), they've obviously got things done right. Government CAN make a difference. Whether or not we have competent politicians is yet another question.

CURRENT politicians may be idiots at the moment - but it doesn't mean it can't change. Though yes, current situation does look pretty dire....

To answer the OP's question, ultimately I think that STUDENTS should learn how to learn on their own. Anything else should come after that. Even college entrance tests.

Agreed. Being able to learn on your own is incredibly important. However, I find that teachers and parents tend to have a role in this as well. Looking back, my dad was the one who taught me to always expand myself beyond the curriculum. I was also fortunate enough to have teachers who absolutely loved it when I bring new insights to the table. Because this is encouraged, students are more likely to explore on their own.

Teachers on the other hand should receive additional training free of charge from the government. When I was in middle school there weren't ANY qualified earth sci teachers. All of them were phys and chem teachers who taught themselves ninth grade earth sci.....it's actually quite terrifying if you think about it.

Oh dear. I just remembered my high school physics teacher. He has a Chemical Engineering background. Half the lesson was spent waiting for him to figure out the concepts he was supposed to teach us. We ended up just reading and teaching the curriculum ourselves. = =|||

[jamieevren1210 10]

There's a junior high near my high school, and I was walking past it yesterday when I picked up a cram school brochure. It explicitly said (I'll translate a bit)..."Parents, never worry about the PISA exams again. Our three special mock exams prepare your child for PISA and will send them off to CK or TFG." My word! No, uh, I have absolutely no words for this insanity.

Maybe this is a wee off topic but I think this might be relevant to the OP's interest, lol.

[MikiRei 10]

Hmmm..I can find an entry about PISA in wiki but I get nothing with "CK" or "TFG". What do they stand for? (Sorry - I haven't lived in Taiwan since I was 6)

[jamieevren1210 10]

Means Chien Kuo High School (best for guys), and Taipei First Girls' High School (best for gals; happens to be my school :P) Almost every parent wants their kid to attend these schools as far as I know.

In Chinese, 建中，北一女 respectively.

And by best, I actually mean best in academic performance. No school is perfect...

[MikiRei 10]

Ah.....the Chinese name I recognise. My aunt used to teach at 北一女.