In almost every Hollywood flick, the Asian kid is always smarter than their North American counterpart. In reality, this is not farfetched, as various experts in the field of education have realized. One of the reasons Japanese students outdo Canadian students is that their system holds different beliefs about education.
The Purpose of Education
In Canada, education seeks to bring out a student’s creative side. Educators intend to help students use their skills and talents in society. teachers will give out homework and expect students to use the intrinsic knowledge to not only complete the tasks but even challenge prevailing beliefs.
Japanese education is all about soaking up knowledge. Japanese educators will teach young students the intimate relationship between education and success in their professional lives. These lessons are imparted with strict commitment from teachers, and students are rarely allowed to use learning aids such as calculators.
The Organization of the Education Systems
Since both systems have different objectives, their structure will vary as they seek to achieve their goals. Firstly, the Japanese education system uses a pair or three teachers in a group of at least 40 students. The educators will maintain their students from the elementary level- grade one until they reach the intermediate level – grade 6. Also, teachers are concerned with how the group performs, and they take measures to ensure constant improvement after each level. Therefore, there is plenty of homework even during the holidays.
On the other hand, Canadian educators will train smaller student groups to impact individual students. There are tailored education plans to help with specific student needs. Also, many schools have a relaxed view of end-year tests, and the pressure to ace them isn’t as high as in Japan. Therefore, more schools continue to eliminate homework from their curriculum. Educators commitment is based on the 8:30 to 2:30 business style. The general public does not have a positive attitude towards the profession. The regulatory laws governing educators have made the profession not only unattractive, but not respected. Compare with their counterpart in Japan, where a judge has to sign off an arrest warrant before a teacher can be arrested. In Canada, an educator is just like any other ‘Johnny’ walking on the street.
What Does The Society Expect From The System?
Evidently, Japanese society highly regards education, especially since it is tied to future success. Parents are normally involved in their children’s learning. They will pile pressure on their kids from an early age to ace their schoolwork because of the perks associated with academic success. As a result, this education system is highly competitive, and students have to contend with long hours at school and homework.
On the flip side, Canadians have a somewhat relaxed view of education. Since it is another stage in the children’s lives, students routinely have plenty of free time for sports and other extra-curricular activities. Moreover, education is rarely pegged against future success, especially as children are frequently exposed to talented individuals who succeed without formal education. The economic reality of Canada also plays a part on whether a student can learn under the severe economic circumstances or not. It’s difficult for students who cannot eat three meal a day to learn.
The Canadian education system is evidently not as competitive as the Japanese one. Also, Canadian educational leaders aren’t keen on shifting to a performance-based alternative. Nevertheless, the world is slowly becoming a global village, and everyone has access to available job opportunities, whether Canadian or Japanese. Therefore, educators and students could consider implementing some tactics from the Japanese system to be at par with their Japanese counterparts.
