Challenges to Effective Education in Secondary Schools in China
Abstract
China’s education system has received recent attention from around the world. Educators in the US are interested in getting to know more about Asian pedagogy – a test-centered ethos with a rigorous focus on math, science and engineering. At the same time Chinese educators are trying to blend a western emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving etc skills and extra curricular and community-oriented pursuit into their own tradition.
While most of the research in the US is focused on positive aspects of education in China, this paper looks specifically at the challenges Chinese education is facing. The focus is teachers, the current teacher training in China and commonly shared views of effective teachers. The hope is that there will be interest in a creative mix of the best of the East and the West in both Chinese and the US secondary education for benefit of all.