Differences between Chinese and Western Education
Brief：As the matter of fact, the argument about advantages and disadvantages between Chinese Education and Western Education is keeping on all the time. To find out the most suitable way for each individual, we shall gather more information and compare both matters in China and foreign countries.
Keywords: Differences, Chinese and Western Education
The basic issue of education is what kind of people we want to cultivate to be, and how to cultivate them. The concept of value, purpose of education and method of education between Chinese Education System and Western Education System are differentiated in many academic fields.
What are the significant characteristics of both Chinese Education System and Western Education System? Let’s have a compare and discuss as follows:
1）concepts of education value
Teaching concept is commonly used in Chinese family education and Chinese Education System. Students learn knowledge through classes that are conducted by teachers inside the classroom, and perceive knowledge by listening to what the parents have told them and textbooks which parents ask them to read. It resulted that Chinese primary education is with no doubt strongly-built, especially during primary school and middle school period.
Guiding is the main concept of education wildly used in western countries. It emphasizes the rights and respects of children, which is base on a trust motion. Westerners intend to offer children opportunities to develop themselves, discovering their potential specialties and abilities. They encourage children to study with interest under pleasure, doing what they want to do and trying the best they can. Thus western children are more responsible and confident; they have a higher grade of self-esteems because of the process of self-learning.
Chinese Education System is good at demonstrating and building moral students always following traditional rules and regulations. But western children show more aggressiveness in personal development, they become the master of their own destiny. They are more ingenious and creative.
2）Chance to enter high education
The primary education in China is unilaterally seeking for the rate of upgrading. Only those high scored students have the opportunity to enter famous school. As a result of this, some of the students who have lower scores may not have a fair chance to develop. It causes huge stress burden on both schools’ and students’ shoulders. Schools care about their reputation, certainly more pressure is given to the students. Students care about are afraid of discipline or elimination, with no choice, they have to tolerate the pressure. However, those high education properties such as colleges
and universities still have a low percentage of students among all the citizens in China.
In western, every student may have a chance to enter high education properties. They mainly emphasize the personal development skills of students and set creativeness as a major purpose of education. In their opinion, personal development is according to personal need and demand. Every one has their own character and ambition, educate children toward their interest and specialty is helpful to discover their potential capacity and talent. It is not only for the need of personal development, but also good for social development.
3) Education methods
China students have been told that they should have the good manner of studying hard towards goals as a Chinese tradition. Most parents start teaching children simple calculating and writing when they are 3 or 4 years old. Almost every Chinese have the memory of being forced to Chinese ancient poems in their childhood. However, in the 21st century today, only reciting poems and textbooks, expecting high scores in exam, studying without other activities are evidently limited for the multi-changed diversity world. It is even harm for teenagers if dominate their life by studying only, because the ability of innovation is eradicated.
In western countries, peopl e more look into children’s perceive abilities.Western students just have to keep sufficient attendance and points, they can graduate easily. They have the opportunity to manage their leisure time, develop their interests. We could obviously find out that western people are normally more positive and easy going. They have various knowledge about life and nature which is out of textbooks, also they have better communication skills to getting along with different people.
To sum up, Chinese Education System and Western Education System have their own advantages and disadvantages. Chinese emphasizes foundational knowledge whereas Western thinks highly of creativeness. If we could join two systems together, there is going be more Chinese performers on the 21st century stage.