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It is because the in the US, we do not teach our students to learn, we teach them so that they can pass the test. Also, American kids are bad at math b/c they learn it later than kids in other countries ( I wasn't taught fractions until middle school, sad sad sad).
Actually, that's not true. We are teaching math topics earlier and earlier (and MUCH earlier than many other countries!). 2nd graders are being introduced to algebra today (though it's obviously not called algebra). You see fractions from the time you're 6 or 7, though of course you start out with simple "Break a cookie in 2 and each is 1/2!" By the time kids are in 4th grade, they should be adding/subtracting/multiplying fractions.
I'm only familiar with Virginia standards, but here are some of them (one from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade):
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3.5 The student will
a) divide regions and sets to represent a fraction; and
b) name and write the fractions represented by a given model (area/region,
length/measurement, and set). Fractions (including mixed numbers) will include halves, thirds, fourths, eighths, and tenths.
4.3 The student will compare the numerical value of fractions (with like and unlike denominators) having denominators of 12 or less, using concrete materials.
5.2 The student will
a) recognize and name commonly used fractions (halves, fourths, fifths, eighths, and tenths) in their equivalent decimal form and vice versa; and
b) order a given set of fractions and decimals from least to greatest. Fractions will include like and unlike denominators limited to 12 or less, and mixed numbers.
The real difference (math wise, at least--my subject) is that in Asian countries they teach less breadth and more depth. Our students learn a little bit about everything each year, rather than focusing on a smaller set of topics but covering them completely in depth. 6 of one, half a dozen of another.
Remember too that in China, there is no IEP plan, no 504 plan, no equal opportunity access. If you can cut it in school, you stay and you get educated. If you have learning disabilities, behavioral problems, or are extremely handicapped, they likely aren't making accommodations for you. Chinese students are top notch, but they're also only a portion of those that we educate here in America. If we did the same "you must test into middle school/high school/college" that they do, we could easily skim the bottom rungs of students off and raise our "average".
Remember too that in China, there is no IEP plan, no 504 plan, no equal opportunity access. If you can cut it in school, you stay and you get educated. If you have learning disabilities, behavioral problems, or are extremely handicapped, they likely aren't making accommodations for you. Chinese students are top notch, but they're also only a portion of those that we educate here in America. If we did the same "you must test into middle school/high school/college" that they do, we could easily skim the bottom rungs of students off and raise our "average".
and you should. it's about realism and qualifications. do you want a doctor that is actually qualified or that was taken by the hand to make room for his incompetence?
i like all the excuses on this thread and anything said to make one feel better even if untrue.
the truth is chinese students overall are just more disciplined and there are just more who are serious about learning than american students. that would still be true even if the bottom rung was 'skimmed' in america.
the problem is much deeper than smart students or dumb students. it's also american culture that does not value education as much as china. it's in the attitudes, mindframe and values. the problem, i'm afraid, is much more insidious.
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Actually I think that is more the case in Asian countries. They study hard and they study a lot but they are not very good at solving problems by themselves.
you are not understanding the law of averages. intelligent people will be able to problem solve regardless. the point is most people can't because they are not as smart and no amount of sitting in school is going to make a difference just as teaching a dog algebra will get you nowhere.
i mean you can't seriously think that the average person can somehow problem solve or are creative just because they don't study or doing any sort of rote learning. seriously, there are plenty of students that don't study and they are still stupid. the logic that studying is not important is ludicrous. i would hope that one would need to study to learn anything of substance. americans have a 'flyboy' mentality and 'winging' it is much cooler and shows cleverness.
The land of the future: In Shanghai Chinese students amazed with test scores.
In the article, note the results of Americans. America is way past due for the wake-up call. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/ed...ef=todayspaper
I think I may be the only person that read the article....including you.
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Shanghai — an industrial powerhouse with some 20 million residents and scores of modern universities that is a magnet for the best students in the country — are by no means representative of all of China.
I wonder what the US test scores would look like if we didn't bother testing the lower IQ kids (off to making Nikes at age 10 instead of wasting time in school.) or excluded the kids that barely attended school in Mexico and don't know english that well?
Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of room for improvement in the US but that's OUR OWN personal responsibility to educate our kids instead of letting them play xbox and sports 40 hours a week. We worship guys that can run fast or jump high and give them full page articles in the newspaper and full scholarships.
and you should. it's about realism and qualifications. do you want a doctor that is actually qualified or that was taken by the hand to make room for his incompetence?
So what do you suggest we do with all the children who have dyslexia, or who are from poor families who can't afford tutoring? Should we put 'em to work in rice fields or manufacturing plants? Should we just decide they're going to be minimum wage workers forever because they did poorly in 4th grade?
The land of the future: In Shanghai Chinese students amazed with test scores.
In the article, note the results of Americans. America is way past due for the wake-up call. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/ed...ef=todayspaper
So what do you suggest we do with all the children who have dyslexia, or who are from poor families who can't afford tutoring? Should we put 'em to work in rice fields or manufacturing plants? Should we just decide they're going to be minimum wage workers forever because they did poorly in 4th grade?
what is wrong with that? do you think everyone can be a doctor or an astrophysicist? do you think everyone has to get a degree or work in a professional field?
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I wonder what the US test scores would look like if we didn't bother testing the lower IQ kids (off to making Nikes at age 10 instead of wasting time in school.) or excluded the kids that barely attended school in Mexico and don't know english that well?
it's not equitable as it appears. most poor chinese do not have access to education. even most chinese kids are naturally smarter though on average. that is still the key difference. give the chinese kid the same opportunity, benefits and perks and they will still usually outperform. that's not politically correct but it's true.
china will pull ahead no matter what eventually because american population on average is just naturally not as intelligent. we're talking about the average population, not exceptional people. the average american student would require a lot more attention, energy and help than what an average chinese student would.
do people really think there are really no physical differences between people? do people think it's just a fluke that china or asia is rising but say not mexico or africa at the same level yet? do people think it's just a fluke that an asian student is more apt (on average) to study more than party?
In other countries the primary level is relatively similar. In general, primary education consists of six to eight years of schooling starting at the age of five or six, although this varies between, and sometimes within, countries.
After they finish their primary education, only students that pass an entry exam can attend gymnasiums/lyceums which are a preparation for an university.
A substantial portion of students that will not pursue further academic education, have a choice to attend wide selection of vocational schools.
The secondary education system has two levels, and nationally standardized exit exams are required to graduate from one level and to enter the next level.
National curriculum or testing system gives the teachers and the students an appropriate measure of and incentive for realistically high achievements. There is no "special preparation" for the tests, where the students learn appropriate answers for test questions.
Tests are performed to find out how much of the study material is comprehended, and failure is not a shame but a great way to find weak points and enforce additional time for study.
The whole system is more uniform and the standards for judging students do not wary.
Students in other countries see a direct relationship between their performance in school and the options that will be available to them after they complete their elementary education.
In contrary, in America standards for judging students vary greatly, depending on where they live and go to school. It showed that a student who earned an A in math at a school with a large number of economically poor students could get a D at a more affluent school.
That's why many parents try to live in a "good" school district.
United States has no official national exams, nor does it have any privately administered exams taken by large numbers of average students nationwide. The SAT and ACT, which are the most widely taken exams, are designed mainly for college-bound students and these exams do assess only a very narrow range of skills and knowledge.
Grade inflation in U.S. schools and universities easily deludes students into believing a high grade represents high real achievement.
what is wrong with that? do you think everyone can be a doctor or an astrophysicist? do you think everyone has to get a degree or work in a professional field?
I see your point, but I shudder to think what may have been missed (or not here yet) had Thomas Edison's teachers felt that he had little potential at 4th grade, and dismissed any hope of potential in the future.
Furthermore, there are some pretty impressive people on the total list of the link at the bottom.
"Thomas Edison - Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 - October 18, 1931) was an American inventor of Dutch origin and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb. In school, the young Edison's mind often wandered. He was noted to be terrible at mathematics, unable to focus, and had difficulty with words and speech. This ended Edison's three months of official schooling. The cause of Edison's deafness has been attributed to a bout of scarlet fever during childhood and recurring untreated middle ear infections. Thomas Edison was dyslexic, a problem child, and a mischief-maker. He talked when he was supposed to be listening and did not listen when the teacher talked. He had no patience. He was not well-coordinated and did poorly in sports. He applied himself with a passion to whatever caught his attention, but his attention was easily diverted."
So, not only was he bad at math, he couldn't sit still. Yet, he was one of THE most important inventors of our time.
One can only imagine what hell he'd have gone through in today's schools.
An higher education does not breed geniuses and inventors.
While an education certainly does help in the success stakes, there are times when being 'street smart' can be an advantage. The list of drop outs below contains people who were willing to take risks with their ideas and really believed in themselves, they followed their dreams. It is a case of needing to prove their worth and achieving despite all odds. Drop outs tend to have a fighting spirit which may be stronger than their peers in academia, they are more forceful with 'big' personalities.
Colonel Harlan Sanders - KFC
Coco Chanel - founder of famous fashion label "Chanel"
David Ogilvy - advertising executive and copywriter (expelled from Uni)
Bill Gates - one of the world's richest men
DeWitt Wallace - founder of "Reader's Digest"
Frederick Henry Royce - Co-founder of the "Rolls Royce"
George Eastman - Inventor of "Kodak"
Ingvar Kamprad - founder of IKEA
James Cameron - Film Director of "Avatar"
Steven Spielberg - Film Director of "Jaws"
Joyce C. Hall - founder of Hallmark
Simon Cowell - TV show creator such as The "Idol" series
There are many highly educated University students who end up working at McDonalds or waiting tables...
An higher education does not breed geniuses and inventors.
While an education certainly does help in the success stakes, there are times when being 'street smart' can be an advantage. The list of drop outs below contains people who were willing to take risks with their ideas and really believed in themselves, they followed their dreams. It is a case of needing to prove their worth and achieving despite all odds. Drop outs tend to have a fighting spirit which may be stronger than their peers in academia, they are more forceful with 'big' personalities.
Colonel Harlan Sanders - KFC
Coco Chanel - founder of famous fashion label "Chanel"
David Ogilvy - advertising executive and copywriter (expelled from Uni)
Bill Gates - one of the world's richest men
DeWitt Wallace - founder of "Reader's Digest"
Frederick Henry Royce - Co-founder of the "Rolls Royce"
George Eastman - Inventor of "Kodak"
Ingvar Kamprad - founder of IKEA
James Cameron - Film Director of "Avatar"
Steven Spielberg - Film Director of "Jaws"
Joyce C. Hall - founder of Hallmark
Simon Cowell - TV show creator such as The "Idol" series
There are many highly educated University students who end up working at McDonalds or waiting tables...
It is even more true today with the internet. within 50 year information will be so widespread not having an official diploma I think won't hinder people from being able to get great jobs. what will count is if the person is able to prove they know everything essential to doing the job and that they are fast learners at on job training. How many years of college did Einstein have before he started doing major research that inspires people today. There are people with degrees that get into master programs that have almost nothing to do with what they originally studied.
Eventually autodidacts will be able to get great jobs without a diploma. There are many people like Alex Jones who would've been laughed at for their qualifications for a job in some intelligence fields if it weren't for the internet. Whoopi Goldberg dropped out of high school and didn't go to college.
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