Through chatting with foreign teachers on weekdays, I learned some educational conditions in the United States and got a glimpse of some "secrets" of American students' writing. The cultural traditions of the United States are different from those of China. Under different cultural backgrounds, there are obvious differences between American students and China students in their writing.
This is how American students write their compositions. These writing methods should have a lot of reference significance for us.
First, American students are "like wolves" when collecting composition materials. Most of the materials we use in writing come from our lives. The composition material emphasizes authenticity and personal experience, so the events and characters in our composition are often selected from a small part of social life that can be contacted by family, school and life. In other words, the materials we can possess and use in writing are "real and limited".
American students are completely different from us in having composition materials. American students' compositions are not required to be completed in class, but can be completed in a few days or weeks, and some compositions may even be "one-semester projects".
American students can use this time to collect a lot of composition materials-go to the library for reference, visit the community, look online, and so on. Because American students will collect materials in many ways before writing, and it will take a long time to collect them, and eventually they will occupy a "huge amount" of composition materials for use.
Rich composition materials make no American student "worry" about writing. For example, if we write a composition, there will be no "I don't know what to write" situation. We should break through the original way of thinking, break through our own "limited experience", enter the "material world" and find our own composition needs.
In this way, the composition we write will be "more brilliant" because of the rich materials, and we will truly feel the feeling of "a stroke of genius" when writing a composition. Second, American students' compositions focus on "self-presentation". What is the "goal" of our composition? The "goal" of our composition is to establish a "central idea", that is, an idea, and then express and identify with this idea through composition.
The so-called "correct concept" refers to the conceptual direction of social identity. Simply put, the goal of our writing is to convey such a message to the outside world: the author should identify with and obey a certain "noble orientation" of society.
It is very important for our composition to be "correct in conception". If a composition is "ill-conceived", it will not reach the "excellent" level in any case. Because we excessively pursue some "intentional" social identity expressions, exaggeration and lies will inevitably appear in our compositions.
American students seldom pay attention to "conception" in their compositions. American students' compositions are not written for social "values", but to express their strong personal views to the outside world, although some views may not be correct and reasonable.
On the basis of a large number of materials, American students' compositions are "well-founded", and American students can write their own personalized understanding of the same problem in their compositions, which can be described as "a hundred flowers blossom". Reading our composition, we can pick out some lies and empty words from time to time; Looking at American students' compositions, we can often perceive the rigor of American students' thinking logic, and every sentence is said on the "thinking".
Our composition is to please others, and American students' composition is to prove and show their views. In this regard, we should learn from American students, so that the composition can serve our own views and self-presentation.
Third, the composition of American students is "lack of emotion and rich imagination". Our composition emphasizes "expressing feelings", so many students' compositions are "full of emotions". However, some "lyricism" in our composition seems stiff and far-fetched because it is too full, and may not be able to impress people.
In addition, the lack of imagination in our composition is a recognized problem. Many students are limited by the "central idea" of materials and compositions, which leads to "unable to let go" of thinking and insufficient imagination, and the composition inevitably lacks vividness and interest.
American students' compositions attach importance to narration and logical reasoning, but lack the lyricism of "big guy" and add "reasoning with things". Therefore, the composition of American students makes people feel clear and calm when reading, and they can "know what they say and do what they do".
American students' compositions are more like "writing stories" because they have superb narrative ability; Because of the strong reasoning ability, it looks like "writing a paper". This is the height that our composition can't reach.
In addition, because American students are active in thinking, their compositions are not bound by "central thinking" and "correct thinking", and they are particularly brave in writing. It is more appropriate to describe American students' compositions with imagination. For example, when writing an imaginary composition similar to "Your ship sank", we often focus on "the pain of parting", but the rich and grand imagination will make American students write this composition "all kinds of wonders"-what demons, angels, pains, happiness, loss, gains and so on will appear in different students' compositions.
The incident of "1000 people writing one thing together and 10,000 people expressing themselves together" will never happen in the composition of American students. Different cultural backgrounds have caused the differences between Chinese and American students' compositions.
We should learn from the characteristics of American students' composition to optimize our composition direction, make the composition pay more attention to our own needs, and show our self-awareness with the composition. We should try our best to turn the composition into our own needs, instead of making it a tool to please others.
2. How do I write a composition in my primary school in America/American pupils? Writing is a tool to carry one's thoughts and convey one's information to others.
Students should be encouraged to write compositions to express their thoughts and feelings. The key is not "when to teach", but "how to teach", or in my words, how to make children gradually like writing and gradually express their information accurately.
The first is to cultivate children's reading interest and reading habits. Two children in our family have been studying with their parents since 1 year old. There are many picture books suitable for all ages in America. We have formed the habit of reading picture books before going to bed every day.
When I read with them, I don't ask them to read or repeat or answer questions. It is important to share some time with them, share an emotion, even play games together, read aloud in different roles and so on.
The two children have loved reading since childhood. They pick up a book as naturally as playing with a car. Their interest in reading and reading habits have played a great role since they went to school-they can read, read and acquire knowledge quickly, and they have developed the habit of automatic learning.
Children's interests have their own characteristics. My Dabao prefers reading popular science books, while Bao Xiao prefers reading story books. I don't force them to read books on other subjects, but I often buy or borrow books on various subjects from the library.
Every room in our house has a children's bookshelf. I found that Dabao sometimes took the initiative to read story books or poems, and Bao Xiao sometimes read popular science books. In childhood, let them take the initiative to read their favorite books, and at the same time, through subtle guidance, try to balance their reading interests and let them know many subjects.
The second is to encourage expression. Children first express their thoughts and ideas from paintings.
In primary school, they have a little writing time every day. At first, many children couldn't write or couldn't write well, so American teachers encouraged them to express their ideas or describe things by drawing.
The book they wrote is divided into two parts, the upper part is blank and can be painted; The lower part is a grid, and you can write. Because they have just started to learn to write and read, the teacher has no special requirements for the right or wrong words, as long as they are roughly spelled, and it doesn't matter if they are misspelled.
Teachers encourage free expression. Next, the teacher will introduce various styles, such as how to write narrative, how to write expository, how to write articles expressing their views and so on.
When practicing writing in the lower grades of primary school, the teacher doesn't ask whether the words are right or wrong. He won't say, "You didn't write these words correctly. Go home and copy it ten times! " Mainly look at the meaning of expression, learn and practice how to write various articles. Children also learn to write research reports, choose a favorite animal, look up books in the library, write articles about this animal and list references.
Their research report may be only a few paragraphs, but they have learned how to write research reports and the structure of articles. American elementary school children's interest and desire in writing are protected and encouraged by teachers, and they also practice basic writing requirements, laying the foundation for senior writing.
Teachers also pay special attention to children's individual differences. Some children may naturally shine through a lot of reading, and some children may not rely on a lot of reading, and they need some suggestions on wording, sentence making or article structure.
Some children may be good at writing narratives, while others may be good at writing expositions. Teachers and parents should pay attention to supporting their free expression in writing, while protecting their strengths and characteristics, and gradually develop in other aspects.
The progress of writing may take a long time to accumulate, so parents and teachers should be patient and don't always think about it overnight. ◎ Chen Xin (Chen Xin, Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Connecticut, USA, author of "2 1 parenting habits of efficient parents").
3. How do foreign primary and secondary school students write a composition about the starting point of writing: "Writing before reading" It is generally believed that children can learn to write only after they can read and write a certain number of words.
Donald Graves, a famous American educator, does not think so. He thinks that children will not learn to read before they learn to write. Instead, they learned to write before they learned to read. Starting from children's psychological characteristics, he compared articles to passwords, compared writing articles to coding passwords, and compared reading to cracking passwords.
He said: "In the eyes of children, it is easier to make a password than to crack it." Besides, if you know how to mend it, then you also know how to dismantle it.
Obviously, writing can promote reading. Graves believes that writing is a tool to express ideas. As long as children have ideas, they will instinctively use this tool to express their ideas.
He said: "Children's initial instinct is to draw symbols. Before primary school, they painted everywhere-walls, sidewalks, concrete slabs, windows with steam ... "Graves proved through surveys that 90% of children thought they could write when they started school; Only 15% children think they can read.
He told a story: a female teacher began to teach a first-grade child. She sent the composition to the child and said, "This is your own composition book. If you like, you can start writing now. " After a moment of meditation, the children all began to write.
Some children have been able to write some sentences; Some children can only write their own names; The rest of the children drew some pictures casually or simply. But no one said "I can't write".
In composition class, teachers usually ask children to keep quiet. But Graves found that children's early writing needs the help of mouth and hands.
He photographed the movements of children's hands when they were writing, and recorded the voices of children talking to themselves when they were writing with a miniature tape recorder. He found that when children write, they usually say things over and over again, and then write them on paper.
Facts show that children need their own pronunciation organs to help them write early. In the early writing process, it is not naughty for children to talk and draw in class, on the contrary, it is a normal activity for children to write.
After long-term observation and experiment, Graves also summed up a rule in children's learning and writing process, that is, from self-centeredness to self-criticism. At the beginning of writing, children are completely self-centered.
They have no fear of writing, whether others can understand it or not. He believes that this kind of self-confidence and self-enjoyment is the source of children's enthusiasm for learning to write.
He said, "Egocentrism has put on protective armor for itself. Children need this kind of armor.
At this stage, he will never stop to think whether others can understand what he has written. "After children go to school, with the continuous improvement of their writing ability, the" self-centered "writing stage cannot last long.
A great breakthrough comes when a child goes back to read something he is not satisfied with. Since then, children have entered the stage of looking at works with critical eyes.
From this time on, he will actively and continuously improve his writing style. Graves believes that this has entered a critical period for the development of children's writing ability.
4. I go to primary school in America/how do American pupils write their compositions? Writing is a tool to carry one's thoughts and convey one's information to others. Students should be encouraged to write compositions to express their thoughts and feelings. The key is not "when to teach", but "how to teach", or in my words, how to make children gradually like writing and gradually express their information accurately.
The first is to cultivate children's reading interest and reading habits. Two children in our family have been studying with their parents since 1 year old. There are many picture books suitable for all ages in America. We have formed the habit of reading picture books before going to bed every day. When I read with them, I don't ask them to read or repeat or answer questions. It is important to share some time with them, share an emotion, even play games together, read aloud in different roles and so on.
The two children have loved reading since childhood. They pick up a book as naturally as playing with a car. Their interest in reading and reading habits have played a great role since they went to school-they can read, read and acquire knowledge quickly, and they have developed the habit of automatic learning. Children's interests have their own characteristics. My Dabao prefers reading popular science books, while Bao Xiao prefers reading story books. I don't force them to read books on other subjects, but I often buy or borrow books on various subjects from the library. Every room in our house has a children's bookshelf. I found that Dabao sometimes took the initiative to read story books or poems, and Bao Xiao sometimes read popular science books. In childhood, let them take the initiative to read their favorite books, and at the same time, through subtle guidance, try to balance their reading interests and let them know many subjects.
The second is to encourage expression. Children first express their thoughts and ideas from paintings. In primary school, they have a little writing time every day. At first, many children couldn't write or couldn't write well, so American teachers encouraged them to express their ideas or describe things by drawing. The book they wrote is divided into two parts, the upper part is blank and can be painted; The lower part is a grid, and you can write. Because they have just started to learn to write and read, the teacher has no special requirements for the right or wrong words, as long as they are roughly spelled, and it doesn't matter if they are misspelled. Teachers encourage free expression.
Next, the teacher will introduce various styles, such as how to write narrative, how to write expository, how to write articles expressing their views and so on. When practicing writing in the lower grades of primary school, the teacher doesn't ask whether the words are right or wrong. He won't say, "You didn't write these words correctly. Go home and copy it ten times! " Mainly look at the meaning of expression, learn and practice how to write various articles. Children also learn to write research reports, choose a favorite animal, look up books in the library, write articles about this animal and list references. Their research report may be only a few paragraphs, but they have learned how to write research reports and the structure of articles.
American elementary school children's interest and desire in writing are protected and encouraged by teachers, and they also practice basic writing requirements, laying the foundation for senior writing. Teachers also pay special attention to children's individual differences. Some children may naturally shine through a lot of reading, and some children may not rely on a lot of reading, and they need some suggestions on wording, sentence making or article structure. Some children may be good at writing narratives, while others may be good at writing expositions. Teachers and parents should pay attention to supporting their free expression in writing, while protecting their strengths and characteristics, and gradually develop in other aspects. The progress of writing may take a long time to accumulate, so parents and teachers should be patient and don't always think about it overnight. Chen Xin
(Chen Xin, Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Connecticut, USA, author of "2 1 Teaching Habits of Efficient Parents")
5. How do American fifth and sixth grade students write their compositions? This is also one of the reasons why I am interested in primary school students' composition.
In the United States, the fifth grade is the highest grade in primary schools. Comparing the composition requirements of grade four and grade five, we can find that the children in grade five suddenly grow up. The fifth grade Chinese is divided into six units (taking Harcourt as an example), and each unit focuses on a writing style. The six writing styles are personal narration, explanation, reasoning, comparison, research report and story, which are similar to the requirements of grade four, but the writing requirements are obviously improved.
Not only did the number of words in the composition suddenly increase from about 140 to about 300 words (and then to 500 words in the sixth grade), but the number of paragraphs in the composition also increased from three paragraphs (some of them were large paragraphs) to five paragraphs. More importantly, the comprehensiveness and complexity of thinking problems have also been greatly improved, and "opinions" and "opinions" have begun to appear. As children who learn to think with their brains and write down their thinking results, fifth-grade pupils are no longer "children".
6. Do you dare foreign students to write a composition? There are many kinds of hobbies in the world, as many as the population.
Although your love and mine look the same, they are not the same. Because of everyone's personality, ideas, etc. Is different.
I also have many hobbies, such as reading, watching TV or movies and listening to music. My favorite hobby recently is "walking", and I usually go out for a walk.
I used to like walking around. While walking, thinking.
That kind of feeling is very good and enriches our lives. I like windy weather.
Do you know that?/You know what? Every time the wind smells different. According to that smell, you can guess the weather tomorrow or later.
What I like best is the winter wind, because I feel freshest. It reminds me of my childhood. Some people listen to me and say, "You are an individual." Or "You're a little strange."
But I usually go out for a walk for that feeling. Recently, the weather is much better than before, and it is not too cold. When I am free, I will go to school for a walk with my friends.
The refreshing wind and flowers make me happy and give me new courage and strength. Everyone has hobbies.
We have hobbies because of the feeling they give us. That feeling attracted us. Let's do it again.
After that process, it became a hobby of ours. I like walking, so my hobby is walking.
I saw a China movie before, and the plot is like this. The main characters are a couple and their son, and their husband's father.
They have lived in America for a long time, but their father is new here, and their son got sick while living in America. So they decided to use the traditional medicine of China, and the treatment was to heat the glass and press the back beam.
But after the treatment, it immediately left an ugly impression on the back beam. It's like being hit by a stick, so others may misunderstand when they look at the back beam.
One day, an American accidentally saw their son's back beam, and he kept complaining to the child protection office. As a result, his son was admitted to the child protection center, which surprised his parents.
They said, "Why doesn't our son want to send him to a child protection center?" Parents can't understand, and grandpa can't understand at all. Although they desperately tried to get their son back, the reserve and an American judge could not understand the traditional Chinese medicine in China.
They don't try to understand Chinese medicine. They just looked at the child's back and judged that it was a domestic violence. Here's the problem. Although this incident is just a movie, it is likely to happen again now or in the future.
What I just said is this: do we only see the skin of other people's culture to talk about or understand?
7. If you are an American student on vacation in Beijing, write a travel diary. I went to the Palace Museum today. It's cool. I like the Palace Museum very much. Because it is very beautiful. There are many interesting things in the Forbidden City. The palace is red and the landing table is yellow. I had a good time, because the weather was fine and it was interesting here. I went to the Forbidden City today. It's cool. Then I ate a bowl of Beijing specialties in the morning and started a new journey. I took a taxi to the front door of the palace. The palace is full of dragons, driven away! .
8. Chinese and foreign primary school students write 400 words in different compositions. American basic education keywords: learning in games, responsibility education, entrepreneurship, work-study programs, study habits, leadership, art education, and physical education, so that children can learn to choose and diversify themselves.
Education in China is cramming and compulsory. Parents and schools are too utilitarian, which stifles children's curiosity and nature. This may be too abstract. I suggest going to see JASON ZHANG's Young Battlefield. At the end of the book, it is his true feelings of teaching in American primary schools.
Primary school students in China have to do a lot of homework every day, while there is basically no homework abroad, which is very easy. Primary school students in China spend a long time at school, while in foreign countries, they finish school at one or two in the afternoon. China pupils like to stay at home, while foreign pupils like to go out to play. Pupils in China have no freedom in foreign countries.
For example, a German girl of 14 years old traveled around Europe alone. The little girl's name is Uta. After reading the lesson of Wuta, I was deeply moved. /kloc-Uta, who traveled to Europe alone at the age of 0/4, is the dream of a China child who has never been far away. Children in China depend on their parents for everything, and their parents indulge them. It's really "I dare not touch it on my head, I dare not melt it in my mouth, I dare not hold it in my hand for fear of falling off". As for Uta, 14 years old can travel to Europe alone, while 14 years old can't even wash dishes. I remember reading in the newspaper that a female student in a key middle school once ate two boiled eggs, but she couldn't even peel them, so she went home crying. I think not spoiling children is good for their growth!
Nowadays, children spend a lot of money. They always buy one thing. If the paint on the pencil box drops, they throw it away and buy a new one. If there are ten children, each person spends one yuan a day, and it will cost 3650 yuan for 365 days a year, which is shocking enough. Children don't know how to save and the difficulty of making money, which makes them form a bad habit of not saving. As for Uta, she knew that the ice cream and water sold in the stalls in Rome were very expensive, so she took water with her and didn't have to waste any more money. She not only knows how to save money, but also makes money for this trip. She has been preparing for three years. During this period, she helped the supermarket distribute advertising leaflets and went to other people's homes to play with children on Sunday. In short, she tried her best to make money. In the end, she finally earned half. Dad gave her the other half. But how do children in our country do it? Look down on those humble occupations: cleaners look down on them, newspaper buyers look down on them, and milk delivery people look down on them. It is precisely because of this mentality that nothing can be achieved. Therefore, learning to operate and manage can make children grow up healthily in society.
Second, there is a sense of responsibility. Whenever Uta goes to a place, he will call his parents or send a postcard first. Children nowadays forget their parents almost as soon as they play. Parents are worried to death at home, but the children are in high spirits there until their parents are eager to find the stone in their hearts, but they are reluctant to fight. After all, children are the pride of parents! Therefore, children should also be responsible.
Finally, education. As Uta said: If you love children, why can't you let them go out alone? The world you know from TV and books is always imperfect. This statement is correct. If you love children, why can't you let them go out alone? Is it out of concern or doting? Only when children are released from cages can they understand the outside world. Is it a concern for children not to go out? Like a frog in a well, can you improve your knowledge? The world we know from TV and books is always imperfect, so why not let them go out to exercise? Foreign primary schools always cultivate children from two aspects: one is the cultivation of knowledge, and the other is the cultivation of practice. However, our country pays the most attention to the study of knowledge, and always thinks that learning well is enough, but how can we prove the role of knowledge without hands-on practice? Can't practice prove everything?
After reading the article "Wuta", I want to say to my parents: "Let the children go! Give them free space and let them grow up happily. " Say to the children in our country: "respect your parents and do your own thing."