Time to combine the best of both worlds

Students in China and the West will benefit if we absorb right ingredients from each other's education systems

A strong voice has been rising in China in recent times, one that criticizes test-oriented education and says the Chinese system kills children's creativity.

It seems the entire education circle is worried, as more look to introduce elements from Western education systems.

Some Chinese schools are already taking the Western path. Beijing National Day School, for example, allows students to choose their courses and has introduced layered teaching systems, in which students receive an education according to what they like and need.

It's incredible that, at the same time, a reverse trend is happening in the West, where schools are looking to China.

The documentary film Waiting for Superman attacks the poor-quality education in public schools in the United States. There, some states have opened Chinese-style schools, which have been well-received by parents.

The BBC series Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School also saw Chinese teachers take classes at Bohunt School, a state secondary in rural Liphook, Hampshire, which aimed to draw people's attention to problems in the education and potential Chinese solutions.

What's happening to education authorities in China and the West? Why do they think the grass is greener? I believe both education patterns both have their advantages.

Chinese education puts a stress on students' test results. This method improves the efficiency of teaching in basic subjects and encourages students who perform so-so in class to study hard.

However, this system blocks the development of top students, who are usually creative and hate repetitive tasks. Teachers must sacrifice these top students to cater to the majority when preparing courses and in evaluation, so it's their creativity and curiosity that suffers under the current Chinese education system. This is why some have looked to the West for answers.

The Western system pays more attention to the process rather than results; it encourages individual development, and promotes curiosity and creativity, giving space and freedom to those top students.

In that environment, young people have freedom under guidance (something that is lacking in Chinese education), so that they can develop good study habits as well as morality.

This may be why top students in the West are more outstanding than those in China.

It's a double-edged sword, though. Because they don't emphasize test scores, Western schools are far behind Chinese ones at delivering basic knowledge. As a result, students with bad behavior will gradually get worse, which leads to a huge gap between good and bad students. While you see top students excel, another group falls far behind.

Some of China's elite schools have been carrying out reforms, combining the advantages of both a Chinese and Western education. They attach more importance to the independent management of their schools and give more freedom to students, allowing them to manage their own schedules for class work and other activities.

Beijing National Day School has more than 200 student clubs. Each middle school student has his or her unique timetable as they can choose courses and club activities according to their interests and learning levels.

That is a typical example of how Western teaching methods can work well in China. It's already being tested in a few schools, although there is a long way to go before it is large scale.

Although the traditional Chinese education methods still dominate, many are taking on the practices of Western schools, and the voice is getting louder.

I hope that, one day, we will have a Chinese education system that is diversified yet still in touch with its traditional values.

The author is a history teacher at Beijing National Day School and author of Light Up the Class with Thoughts. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily European Weekly 05/20/2016 page9)