Responsibility and Learning

详细内容

'

ONEofthewonderfulthingsaboutbeingaforeigneducatorinChina,isthatChinesestudentsaresoeagertolearnfromyou.Theyhavebeentrainedfromanearlyagetobeknowledgesponges,lookingtosoakupasmuchnewinformationfromtheirteachersastheycan.Secondly,Confucianeducationdemandsahighdegreeofrespectforteachers.Thetitle"LaoShi"isoneofreverenceinChinesesociety,thoughteacherstendtobepoorlypaid.EvengreateristherespectinChinaforforeignteachersor"foreignexperts"astheyarecalled.DespitethefactthatmostforeignexpertsinChinahavenopreviousexpertiseasteachersofEnglishasaforeignlanguagebutareemployedassuch,theChinesegovernmentwelestheircontributionbybestowingarespectfultitleuponthem.Thus,Chinesestudentsholdtheirforeignteachersespeciallyinhighregard,whichisperhapswhysomanypeoplewhoetoChinatoteachendupstayingherelonger.

ItwouldbehardtofindthislevelofappreciationforteachersamongAmericanstudents.YoungpeopleintheU.S.haveasomewhatdifferentattitudetowardeducators;theyaretaughttoquestion,notsimplyabsorb,sotheydecideforthemselvesifateacheriscredible.Americanstudentsmayrejecttheirteachers,confrontingthemandevenpubliclydisagreeingwiththemaspartofthelearningprocess.Americanyoungpeoplearelessaeptingofinformationatfacevalue,preferringtoevaluateforthemselvesastowhetherornotwhattheteachersaysistrueoruseful.

Thestatusoftheteacherineasternandwesterneducationhasamajorimpactonthewaystudentstakeresponsibilityfortheirlearning.Chinesestudentsbeeheavilyreliantontheirteacherstogivethemthe"right"informationandcaneasilyblametheteacheriftheydonotdowellintheclassbysaying,"theteacherdidn'tteachmeenough."Americanstudentstendtobemoreindependentaslearners,andteachersencouragethemtodoresearchontheirown,formstudygroupsandseekanswersfromoutsidesources.ThisgivesAmericanstudentsmoreflexibilityingatheringinformation,andalsoencouragesthemtoberesponsiblefortheirlearning.Responsibilityinthiscontextdoesnotsimplymeanmemorizingthe"correct"answerstopassanexam,itreferstothesenseofownershipthatmakeslearningmeaningful.

InChinese,peopleexpressmodestybysayingthattheygavealltheirknowledgebacktotheteacher.Thisimpliesthatthepersonneverreallyownedtheknowledgeinthefirstplace,butsimplyborroweditfromtheteachertopasstheexam.Butitalsoimpliesthatthepersonnevercherishedthisknowledge,becauseheorsheneverownedit,andsotheyneglecteditandeventuallyfotit.It'sjustlikethedifferencebetweenlivinginadormitoryandlivinginyourownhouse.Noonewholivesinadormtakesverygoodcareofit,especiallythepublicareas.Butonceyouownahome,youmakeitbeautifulandkeepitcleanbecauseithasgreatervaluetoyou.Thisisprideofownership,andwhatisownedischerished.Whatischerishedendures.

AsmuchasChinesestudentsappreciatetheirforeignteachers,theyshouldnotfetthatresponsibilityforlearningesfromwithin,notfromwithout.Theteachercannot"give"someoneEnglish.Noonecan"get"Englishfromateacherorfromabooklikeonecangetacold.Responsibilityforlearningcanonlyefromthelearner,whenheorshefreelychoosestoownthequalityofhisorherlearningexperience,versusrelyingonborrowedknowledgefromexperts.