For those of you who a have a special insight into an education system from abroad, we invite you to share your views on the opportunities for CL to take hold in places other than North America. Create a thread for each new country or region discussed. If one already exist for your region of expertise, publish your post as a reply to the existing thread.
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From my experience, The chances of CL taking off in China are slim to none. Chinese education places a great value on rote learning. Teachers are promoted by how well their students do on standardized tests this is especially true of the final test of high school, which determines if the students get into a good university or not.
If the class does well the teacher can get promoted, if they do not then they won’t get their salary increase. To make the integration of CL even more difficult, the Internet is so heavily censored that many co-operative and social sites are constantly blocked, with others being inaccessible on any given day for no discernible reason.
Integrating CL also requires a lot of resources and, for public schools at least, the government has a lot of say in how much money a school has and how it is spent. I know of one school where the government froze tuition for three years. They had to scramble to figure out how they were going to pay for regular expenses, I’m sure that adding more IT was the furthest thing from their minds.
Hi Neil,
I also work in China and I agree with everything you brought up. It can be quite frustrating dealing with IT issues here. Even with a paid vpn I find it hard to complete MET courses efficiently. I work at an international school here, and although they could potentially pave the way for the local schools, there typically is not enough overlap to have much influence. Most children who attend local schools will carry on to study within China, and I think most of them would see CL as a waste of time and possibly even hindering them from achieving the highest scores on their standardised tests.
So, overall I agree, a long way to go before CL might have a successful launch within China.
Thanks for sharing Neil and Dave,
Looking at China with the eyes of a connected learner, is very interesting . China appears to be a very infertile environment for the implementation of CL initiatives, yet it offers so many opportunities. From your comments, we can assume that the open connections (open as in open to criticism, new ideas and change) between China and the rest of the world will not come easily.
In terms of penetrating the great firewall that China has erected around its Internet infrastructure (read about their latest move http://tinyurl.com/pl6k5c7 ), there are many groups that are trying to do just that. Check this short video ( http://tinyurl.com/m9lgzug ) from the Citizen Lab which is very much a CL venture attached to the University of Toronto. Opening up China, so it has direct lines of communication with the rest of the world, will not happen overnight; It will happen step by step and will require sustained action.
Listening to your stories, I can’t help but feel for the young Chinese students who must spend so much time and efforts for the sake of getting good marks. It seems like their academic pursuit is very much standardized and leaves little room, if any, for them to connect with topics or issues that interest them.
This brings me to ask you the following questions:
1- What is the approximate rate of high school completion in China and what are the employment/professional pursuits prospects for a student who drops out ?
2- Would your current positions allow yo to take some action, however small, to help young Chinese learner connect with their interests, and what would that look like?
Three years ago I worked in China, at a BC off shore school in Suzhou. It was an interesting experience. In the BC school I was at we tried to use teaching strategies that would be successful in BC. Strategies that would align, in part, with CL. The Chinese students, even though trying to be flexible, found this challenging. Chinese students don’t even expect the teacher to ask what they are interested in. The BC section of the school where I taught was attached to a larger traditional Chinese school. I would gaze out the window at the classrooms across the courtyard, into the tradition learning system of the Chinese. Personal, collaborative, authentic, interconnected…I don’t think so. The stacks of texts on their small desks, opened and memorized one by one astounded me. The student with the most knowledge, proven on the one test day was the class leader. Each student’s, and their family’s goal, was to be that top student. High pressure, fear and family pride was at stake.
Lois, sounds to me like SIPFLS but I’m sure there are a ton of schools matching that description.
The introduction of CL in China has definitely been made at international schools and has a chance at the humble BC offshore school as well. Within the traditional Chinese system, I would doubt it to be very popular. The gaokao (final exam for university entrance) rules all and determines your fate. The problem for graduates is that there are so many and competition is fierce. In many cases, it’s far more economically viable for young women to consider becoming hostesses at KTVs than go through years of school. Competition within China, would seem the reason for the BC offshore school. If a child is able to leave China, they stand a better chance at a career on their return or in the country they end up (fewer high-achieving students choose to return to China).
To answer your questions as best I can, @sylvainm, I would imagine the rate of high school completion to be around 100%. (http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/48630687.pdf says it’s just over 60%) I say this because, in my province, Liaoning, students move through with their homeroom after being placed in schools depending on their abilities (zhongkao). The best schools have more perks and teachers are given bonuses/better jobs based on their students’ performances. This encourages teachers to maintain close contact through SMS and other means. All students graduate regardless of performance. Rural provinces have reserved spots to send students off to top higher education institutions. Students from rich provinces will attend in rural areas for an increased chance at entry (fewer people scoring at a high level). There is definitely a connected community of learners, however they do not share the core ideals of CL. Weibo (twitter) and other online communities are used to collaborate but in areas that help them gain an upper-hand on the test. We caught 5 well connected boys a couple of years ago who received the English 12 provincial exam poem and essay topics from a friend in Canada who had just written the exam. Not quite the connected learning we are discussing.
Graduating from a low-level high school or even university leaves little chance of employment. The afore mentioned KTV (Karaoke club) work or menial jobs that pay almost nothing.
In my current school, we are able to allow students to connect with their interests. Especially in the elective courses. For many it doesn’t work. Western style education is just a means to get in to university easily. Other students really thrive in this environment and take advantage of chances to engage in collaborative projects with students in Canada and elsewhere. School functions like the halloween dance connect different studies within the school. Students are able to engage and collaborate on an event important to their classmates (over 1400 students attended the last dance). Through clubs, students have engaged with others around the world in multimedia projects. Due to high turnover, we typically have a lot of inexperienced but eager teachers coming every year. We have begun to reach out to international speakers and other schools within our network and in the surrounding area to engage in professional development. This is an exciting prospect as in the past, it’s just been lectures from the administration.
CL in Mexico. I am fortunate to work in a American school in Mexico that values keeping up with the latest trends. Unfortunately, the Mexican government still dictates what students need to learn in order to graduate from our school, even though we are a private school. This leaves little space for us to “play” and try project based learning. The only time we have time to play with CL is during elective classes that students have access to once a day for 58 minutes, and then its up to the teacher to incorporate into their courses. I think there is potential to include CL in my school, but a few fundamental aspects need to change.
Getting the school on board is the first step. I am confident that once they see the immense benefits that connected learning offers to the students they will come around. Of course so long as the government sets the curriculum it will always be a problem implementing new ideas. It seems like this is a common problem in most countries.
The discussion on China’s challenges reminds me of an article I read following the death of Steve Jobs: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/10/07/chinas-internet-why-china-has-no-steve-jobs/
The writers contend that lack of internet access stifles innovation, and this is the reason China does not, and will not for some time, breed innovators of the magnitude of Steve Jobs. This despite the fact that China has 10x the population of the US.
How much richer the world might be with another 10 Steve Jobs innovating away…
As a global community, perhaps, we need to do what we can to open internet access for those living within China’s borders, for the benefit of all of us.
Hi Diane,
I agree that lack of internet access does indeed stiffle innovation. My family is back in France and as much as I have tried to connect with schools over there for online pen pal activities, video chats etc, it is difficult given the lack of access in certain areas. When my cousin came to visit 3 years ago, he as 16 at the time it baffled me that he couldn’t work an ipad or send an email when my 3 year old could. I agree giving everyone open internet access would allow for more creative work and open CL to more possibilities.
Thanks for sharing your observations, mdetharet.
I do recognize that Canada made bold initial steps to get internet connectivity to the populace many moons ago. I assumed that Western Europe would have been not far behind. Lesson learned!
Thanks, Diane
CL in the UAE
In the Middle East I found my fellow faculty and administration to be the most against the principals of connected learning. I approached my new principal at the beginning of the year with a list of things I wanted to try: most excitingly, I had connected with a fellow teacher in Canada (her admin was on board) and we were going to have our classes work on projects together to break down some of the sigmas involving the Middle East and the West.
I was told no to almost everything on the list. The student themselves loved technology however and so after that point I smuggled different platforms into the class and had my students bring in tablets with 3g to get around the lack of infrastructure at the school. My head of department was clueless about technology but encouraged my covert teaching nonetheless because the excitement of the students was palatable. One of my students even managed to connect with her favourite author (a Saudi Woman who grew up in London) from silent reading who offered to discuss the themes of her book with the class!
I think there is a long way to go in this region regarding incorporating technology in schools. I have heard of technology high schools but I know that my local girls would never have been able to attend a school like that. I have kept in touch with my students and though many of them drifted away from our school when I left, they ended up in Public Girls schools where they had strict lecture learning. I wonder if the apprehension our administration felt towards more connected learning was more a fear of losing control of what the students were exposed to. In order to use a textbook in our school it had to come from an approved list that had been vetted by the Emirate Ministry of Education. The internet would remove that filter and while the government would block some websites, there was always the possibility of downloading a VPN.
CL in South Korea
In South Korea, like China, curriculum is astoundingly text and test based. Computer and mobile learning were used but only to support the text book and seemed to be a different media for the same route learning (baring in mind that this was 2007). When I have worked with older Korean and Chinese students more recently there is a general reticence in using technology for school. I get the general feeling that they see the teacher as all-knowing and don’t want to waste valuable time memorizing what I’m saying by using different media. I once told a young student that I didn’t know every word in the English Language and I wish I had a picture of her face, she was crushed. I would say that any sort of learning that involves critical and creative thinking would have a hard time gaining any momentum there as their whole society seems built up around test taking. I was teaching the principals of the TOEFL exams to 8 year-olds! They have broken standardized testing down to a science, which is why they receive such high scores. I can’t see how their culture could change enough to see the widespread adaption of connected learning.
It’s interesting to read your input on the education system in South Korea.
I too taught in the ROK for 3 years (I left in 2011), during which I taught 2 years in large public school in Gangnam. I think it is important to realize that much of what we see when observing education in Korea (or China and Japan for that matter) is through a European lens. Certainly, the work appears more regimented and results based and less predicated on developing creative, analytically thinkers. Still, this is a question of cultural value, and for the most part creativity and critical thinking are less sought after skills for a Korean thinker than a high aptitude for what I would call testable knowledge. There is potential for this to change in due time, and I will not say with complete certainty that connected learning won’t take a foothold in Korea sometime in the near future. Still, as you correctly pointed out, all signs point to the status quo remaining basically intact. This is due in large part to the success of Koreans in technology, business, and science. In the view of Korean school officials and policy makers, the primary aim is to prepare students to excel on university entrance exams and international language tests so that young adults have the best opportunity to attend a good university and put themselves in a position for ongoing financial success. Thus far, the Korean education system is achieving this goal with relative success.
Great points. I think too that it is incredible what they have managed to achieve in such a short period of time. If you look at how far the country has come in the last 5 or 60 years. Didn’t the citizens themselves pay for their country to pay off its debt. I am definitely speaking through a Western lens and I wish that we could have someone who grew up in that system contribute their thoughts because this dialogue is rather one way. I simply have a negative view of their education system after talking with my students. I have seen the stress faced by young children and then in Canada I have talked to the parents who immigrated because they didn’t want to put their children through that environment. I also wonder looking at the widespread alcoholism is this isn’t a ramification of the results-based, stressful lifestyle. Again though I’ll admit that I am completely biased.
http://www.vice.com/read/soju-is-responsible-for-the-south-koreans-passed-out-in-the-streets
In addition to living in South Korea, I spent a year living and teaching in Saudi Arabia. I think the world is sleeping on what is happening in the KSA with regards to education. Currently, the Saudi government is undergoing an aggressive education plan whereby they pay for their citizens to be educated overseas in English speaking countries. Should a students maintain good standing with their institution, the money will keep rolling in. The future prospects point to further westernization of the Saudi education system in the next century, as long as the oil fields don’t dry up or we don’t all start driving electric vehicles. This puts the country in a unique position to implement some alternative educational methods and practices such as CL. They certainly have the resources to d so. My instincts tell me they will continue to implement more traditional methods; still as the country opens up (it will) all bets are off on what sort of educational reforms it may undergo.
Thanks for the insight Brendan! Curious why the Saudi government is sending so much of their money overseas? Perhaps they want to educate their population overseas and then adopt the best practices from multiple countries? Seems like a very quick way to “westernize” the population. Very interesting!
I like how similar our overseas experiences were! That is an interesting solution for Saudi. I wonder, are they sending female students overseas as well? In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi they are undergoing educational reform and importing foreign teachers to implement a New Zealand based curriculum for English, Math and Science. There history, national education, physical education, Islamic, and Arabic are still taught in Arabic by teachers from the Gulf. I worked in a small town for 6 months but the prevalent attitude towards education will make their task very difficult. I have heard of Emirati nationals being educated overseas and even met a few who were but only men which is why I am curious about Saudi. I had many female students who dreamed of studying overseas but who told me it would be impossible. However, the speed of Westernisation might change things quite quickly.
Thanks, amb585, jason harbor, and brendanalexander on sharing your thoughts on education in Korea and the middle east. The picture painted of Korea and the alcohol consumption is very depressing, indeed. Especially if related to academic pressures.
Sounds like Saudi Arabia is ripe for change, including possibly some CL.
UAE, not so much!
Very rich discussion, I hope others come back to benefits from your insights.
Diane