Chinese learning style

Howard. Gardner

1987 In the spring, my wife Ellen and I took our 18-month-old son Benjamin to live in the busy eastern city of China for a month, and at the same time inspected the art education in kindergartens and primary schools in China. However, the most unforgettable experience Ellen and I had about the differences in educational concepts between China and Joe came not from the classroom, but from the lobby of Jinling Hotel where we stayed during our stay in Nanjing.

Our room key is tied to a large plastic board marked with the room number. The hotel encourages guests to leave their keys when they go out, which can be given to the waiter or stuffed into the key box from the notch. Because this hole is very narrow, you must carefully put the key in the right position before you can insert it.

Benjamin likes to walk around with a key and shake it vigorously while walking. He also likes to try to insert the key into the slot. As he is still young, he doesn't quite understand how to put the key in the right place, so he can't insert it. Benjamin doesn't care at all. He may get as much pleasure from the sound of the key as from the occasional successful insertion of the key into the slot.

Allen and I didn't care. Benjamin picked up the key and fiddled with it in the slot. His exploration seems harmless. But I soon observed an interesting phenomenon. If any China staff in the hotel is nearby, he will come to see Benjamin and try to help him when he fails in the first test. They will gently hold Benjamin's hand, guide it directly to the key slot, make necessary repositioning, and help him insert the key into the slot. Then the "teacher" will smile expectantly at Ellen and me, as if waiting for us to say thank you-occasionally he will frown slightly, as if he felt that we had not fulfilled our responsibilities as parents.

I soon realized that this matter was directly related to what we were going to do in China: to investigate the way of preschool education (especially art education) and to reveal China people's attitude towards creative activities. So, it wasn't long before I chatted with domestic educators about the key slot.

Two different ways of learning

My colleagues in China, except a few people, have the same attitude towards this matter as the staff of Jinling Hotel. "Since adults know how to put the key in the slot-this is the ultimate goal of the slot, since the child is still young and not smart enough to complete the action to be done alone, what good is it for him to fiddle around? He is likely to lose heart and lose his temper-this is certainly not the desired result. Why not teach him how to do it? He will be happy, he can learn to do it earlier, and then learn to do more complicated things, such as opening the door or asking for the key-these two things can (and should) be demonstrated to him then.

We listened sympathetically and explained that, first of all, we don't care if Benjamin can put the key in the key slot. He's having fun and exploring, which is what we really value. But the point is, in this process, we try to let Benjamin know that one can solve the problem well by himself. This spirit of self-reliance is the most important parenting concept of the American middle class. If we show a child how to do something-whether it's putting the key in the key slot, drawing a chicken, or making up for some wrong behavior-then he is unlikely to try his best to finish it by himself. In a broader sense, he is unlikely to see life as a series of situations like Americans. In these cases, one must learn to think independently, learn to solve problems independently, and then learn to find new problems that need to be solved creatively.

Start teaching

In retrospect, I clearly realized that this incident reflected the crux of the problem-and in a sense, it was not just the crux. This incident shows the important differences between our two countries in education and artistic practice.

When well-intentioned bystanders from China came to help Benjamin, they didn't push his hand down as clumsily or hesitantly as I might have done. On the contrary, they guided him to the exact direction he wanted to achieve with superb skills and gentle attitude. I began to realize that these China people didn't simply shape and guide Benjamin's behavior in an old-fashioned way: they adhered to the tradition of China and taught them so that Benjamin himself would happily ask for another fight.

Learning should be realized through constant careful shaping and guidance. This concept is also applicable to art. We watched children learn art in the classroom, and their skillful skills surprised us. Children as young as 5 or 6 years old are drawing flowers, fish and animals with adult skills and self-confidence; 9 years old: The works written by a young calligrapher aged 10 can be exhibited in the museum. When visiting the homes of two young artists, we learned from their parents that they practice for several hours every day to improve their skills.

Creativity first?

Judging from the attitude towards creativity, the priority seems to be reversed: young people in the west first boldly innovate, and then gradually understand the tradition; Young people in China are almost inseparable from tradition, but with the passage of time, they may also develop into a realm of innovation.

The position of the United States can be summarized as follows: We attach more importance to innovation and self-reliance than China. The differences between our two cultures can also be shown from our respective worries. Teacher China is worried that if young people don't master skills early, they may not master them for a lifetime; On the other hand, they are not equally eager to promote the development of creativity. American educators worry that creativity may never reappear unless it is developed from the beginning; On the other hand, skills can be acquired in the future.

But I don't want to exaggerate. No matter in the past or today, China has shown great creativity in scientific and artistic innovation. Western innovation breakthroughs are in danger of being exaggerated. If we carefully examine any innovation, its dependence on past achievements is obvious (the phenomenon of "standing on the shoulders of giants").

However, assuming that the contrast I mentioned here is true and the cultivation of skills and creativity are both worthy goals, the important question is: Can we seek a better education method from the two extremes of China and the United States, and perhaps we can achieve a better balance between creativity and basic skills?