The Traditional and Modern Education Systems - Term Paper Example

Education Introduction Education involves the process through which newborn generation prepare to be engaged and involvedin the social life, and also the vital link which the experience of human can be(Bronfenbrenner). Education is formally and commonly divided into various stages such as preschool, primary school level, secondary school level, and the college or university level. Pedagogy refers to the art of how best to teach science and art. Education system varies with a country or the culture of the community.Some governments recognizes the right to education. At the global stage, Article 13 of the United Nations 1966 it acknowledges the right of everyone to education (RIGHTS). Differences between America and Chinese education system Why are these two kinds of education systems so different? To add up, the causes of different education are: the various history backgrounds, the different economic patterns The various traditional cultures and different ways of thinking. These differences results to the many differences in their education system. The first noticeable difference between the Chinese and American education system is the class size at the middle school and high school. Typically teachers teach two classes in an eight period per day with students between 55 and 65. American secondary schools teachers teach five or even six classes a day. The classes have a population of twenty-five to thirty students each. In China, the teachers spend most of their non-teaching time grading papers and preparing for their classes. In the Chinese education system, students beginning school are all put into classes where they stay with one another. The students remain in those classes they attend the first day until they attain higher test scores. The higher test scores permit them to move to a more advanced grouping. The groups of students study each of their subjects together. The American students do not get grouped into such classes as in China. The twenty-five students who are in the same English class at random split up into any of the other issues for the next period and the time after the previous. The students are totally mixed into different classes by next year. At times, similar class of pupils will take two courses at the same time, such as English and history, though this rarely happens. The grouping system in China is carried out even at the university level. In America, the students change rooms every time; the class belongs entirely to the master.In China it is different, the Chinese students stay in the same category throughout the period. It is the teacher who switches classes when their terms and subject come. For this reason, the Chinese students do not have hallway lockers. The students seat in the same places for each topic and they keep their materials on a shelf located beneath their desk. Many of these students have cloth covers for their desk and other ways of making it more comfortable and more “homey”. The Chinese education system is built on what the Americans refer to as “looping”.The teachers move together with the students to the next grade.However, in America it is different.It is very unusual for the teachers to move from one class to the following in high school or even at the college. At the primary school level, the American students begin in grade one with a teacher. They stay with that same teacher every year they are in primary school level. University students think over the teachers as being very crucial to them that they did not want to leave them when their time to move came to go to the middle school. The American teachers tend to specialize in the content of a particular course and curriculum they teach. As a result, they remain in the same level and grade. These practice of the Americans means that subject matter and teacher preference might be valued highly than the students learning in contrary to the Chinese education system. In China the students by their textbooks each year. The books they buy are soft cover and relatively thin. The texts are usually a recently undergone revision. The cost of the books is about $1 and $2 for a workbook that goes with the textbook. The students make proper use of annotations and highlighters in their textbooks. Besides, the textbooks often have moral lessons built into them. For example, when specific experts highlighted, aspects of the scientist’s life that are worthy of imitation are praised. The good aspects may include hard work, care for the environment and either overcoming obstacles. On the hand, American textbooks are hardcover, updated every six years, at least in Indians, and moreover they are rented to the students. The American students are no allowed to mark in their textbooks. In the Chinese schools, discipline is easier as compared to the American schools. In America the time interval between classes is very short; it is either three, four or even five minutes. Students are required to move from their classes to go to their hallway lockers to collect materials for their next class and later move to the next level. In America, the American teachers are expected to be in the hallways during these periods as the students pick materials for their next class. The main purpose of having the teachers in the hallways during this time is to take action in case fighting and other misconduct among the students occur. It is, therefore, impossible even to imagine a ten minute passing period in an American school. The Traditional education system Traditional education also referred as conventional education or the customary education. Traditional knowledge relates to long-established customs found in schools or universities that the society has traditionally viewed as appropriate(Deloria Jr 12-18). Some education reforms promote the adoption and integration of progressive education practices, a holistic kind of approach that focuses on students’ needs and self-expression. The definition and elaboration of the term traditional school system vary with either the historical period or the geography. The primary objective of classical education is to pass skills, facts and standards of moral ethics from one generation to the next generation. Adults consider this attributes and social values to being significant and vital for that generation’s material and social success. Students in this system are required to be obedient for them to receive and believe the fixed answers given to them by the teachers. Teachers are considered as instruments by which knowledge is communicated, and these typical of behavior are enforced. In history, oral recitation was the key educational technique in the traditional education system. This means that the students sat quietly and listened to their colleague students on after another during the lesson until each had been called. The primary role of the teacher was assigning the turns to the students to address their colleagues and listening to what they said. After the class or lesson students would go home with assignments for them to memorize and study(Deloria Jr). At the end of every unit learned, the teacher would give an oral examination or quiz. The oral exam was referred to as “assignment –study-recitation-test”, this was a process repeated after every unit covered. In addition to the overemphasis on the verbal answers in this kind of education system, memorization with no effort at understanding the meaning was an extremely inappropriate use of students and teachers time. This traditional approach instead that all the students be taught the same material and content at the same point. Those students who did not learn quickly what they were prepared failed, and not being allowed to succeed at their natural speeds. This approach dominated American education, which had been borrowed from Europe, until the end of the 19th century. The association of traditional education with elements of coercion is much stronger than it seems acceptable in most cultures. Corporal punishment was involved in this school system(Bourdieu and Passeron). The sanctions were necessary for maintaining class discipline or punishing errors. The school system also required; separating students according to gender, race, and social class, inculcating the dominant religion and language and the teaching of different subjects to boys and girls. The curriculum was and still is a high level of attention paid to time-honored academic knowledge. The modern education system Some of the advantages associated with the current school system include: The use of computers, projectors and internet aid the modern day school system. Different knowledge is spreading among the people through the utilization of the current education system (Schlechty). Anything that can be simplified in any way has been made much easier and even simpler. Science has explored every aspect of life. There is still much to assimilate and learn. Education has no end. One can learn anything or whatever they wish to learn since there is no restriction. The internet one of the modern methods of education provides immeasurable knowledge. Every topic has emerged and developed into a new subject. The unknown world has to a revealment by the usage of new inventions due to the many discoveries and inventions as a result of the modern education system(Schlechty). The whole universe has become accessible to the application of the current school system. The learned and good teachers impart students with the knowledge of what they are familiar with and also what they know. Everyone is a master in their field. Adults and children are getting taught by professionals in their field. The modern education system aims at making students best in their areas of interests so as to aid them achieve their aims and goals. The fact-based knowledge is being passed onto the pupils. Whatever people learn, helps them in their career and their profession. Professionalism is deep rooted in the values of a society. Skill development and talent realization has added a new feather to the modern educational system. There is something for everyone to learn. Even the infants in the present world go to a kindergarten (Schlechty). A little grown physically and mentally child gets promoted to a Montessori. This education system categorizes everything is it primary, middle, or graduate school. Some of the disadvantages associated with the modern education system include: The modern education is strictly confined to schools and colleges. It has eventually become a process of spoon feeding. Spoon feeding in the end teaches students nothing more than just the shape of the spoon (Huxley and Priestley 72). Students get fed with knowledge and facts. Life itself is the real grounds of teaching and learning not arts or even books. The cramming of mathematical formulas, facts and date and theories should be at the higher education level when one has chosen their area of specialization or study. What will the history pay a medical or doctor to a historian? Modern culture has spread ignorance than knowledge. Art can only be acquired and learned from the workshop of those already earning their daily bread from art. Most women do not even have an idea of where the fabric they put on came from. The world how is missing the current world, and the lack of it causes ignorance. All education that is not self-education is inadequate. Presently, after school children are sent to tuitions. It is a clear indication that the abilities of the school teachers are questionable. Homework tutorials are spreading fast in the society. Students might be thought of as people who cannot do anything on their own. As a result, assigned to do the homework. Current schooling got many loop-holes (Tomlinson 17-36). They guide students through well-catered pathways that end up to professionalism. Education produces machines out of pupils. Students read books, speak books and even do books. Discussions in class lead to complications, the difficulties, remain as confusions for a lifetime it no resolved. Vladimir Nabokov The solution of the best way to make education system to be better in the future Students go an extra mile beyond the textbook to study complex topics that are based on real-world issues, such as analyzing information from multiple sources(Hargreaves and Shirley). Project-based class work is more demanding as compared to traditional book-based, where students just memorize facts from a particular or single source. Students instead should utilize original data and documents, mastering of principles covered in the traditional courses but learning the courses in a more meaningful manner. The projects can take up to a week;multiple projects include all the classes. The work of the students is represented beyond the teachers to community groups and teachers. The most significant role of the teachers’ is to guide and coach their pupils through the entire learning process and period. The teachers give specific attention to nurturing the student’s self-confidence and interests (Hargreaves and Shirley). As the technology in the present world provides more curricula, the teachers should spend more time in mentoring students as individuals and tutoring them in specific areas that they need help. Schools should adopt the use of technologies in their curriculum. The proper utilization of technology can assist in the transforming and improvement of almost every aspect of the school. Technology modernizes the nature and state of curriculum, student’s assignment and the administration of the school (Hargreaves and Shirley). Online curricula activities include lesson plans, simulations and the use of class demonstrations and review. Online connections aid the students to share their work and communicate more creatively and productively. The teachers can now maintain records and assessments using applications and software tools. Teachers can stay in touch with the students and the parents through the use of email or voicemail. Schools can reduce administrative costs by implementing technological tools. Studies should render capable students to reach across traditional disciplines and even get to explore their relations. Integrated studies enable investigation of subjects to through various forms of knowledge and expression. Literacy skills are expanded past the traditional focus on words and numbers to incorporate graphics, color, music and also motion. Restructuring of resources of time, money and facilities are vital in any school. A regular school should allow more time for in-depth project work for more than 45-minute period; it should include block scheduling of classes for either two hours or more. Schools should not close down for a three-month summer holiday, however should instead remain open for learner’s activities, the development projects,and community usage. Funds should be directed to the classes rather than the bureaucracy. New school projects either renovations or constructions should insist schools design supports that the students and the teachers collaborating in teams, with accessible technology. The schools can even be redesigned to serve the community centers that offer social and health services for families, in addition offering counseling and parenting classes (Hargreaves and Shirley). Students learn more when schoolwork involves parents. Parents and guardians are considered as a child’s first teacher and can help instill values that later encourage school learning. It is advisable for schools to build strong alliances with parents and receive their active participation in the classroom. Educators should inform parents of the educational goals of the school, the importance of high expectations for each kid and different ways of helping with assignments and class lessons. Effect of education on people Education affects the society by socializing the individuals. Recently this view has been questioned and attacked with the reasons that education is a system of allocation, based on the success on some and failures of others. Education restructures the whole populations, creating and expanding elites and redefining and obligations of members. Education contributes to the social environment and economic development in a society or community. Well-educated citizens have a chance of getting higher level jobs, managing businesses events and earn much money. Higher earnings and salaries results in a significant in the formulation of the society and the tax income, all these support in the building of better and advanced infrastructure. An educated population enhance many social conditions. Overall health rates improve since educated people can monitor and observe their health and have a better insurance. An educated society has and experiences low or no crime rates. The reduced crime rates are because there are very few people living in poverty. As a result; citizens have less need to steal. In an educated population, voting rates and incarceration levels are better. A good education lays a sound foundation for a better and quality life in the future for any individual. Many studies both informal and formal show the effects of education or the impact of lacking education in a person’s life. Education is very vital for all children, which is why children are offered education through the public system which ignores the parental status or the income factor of the children. Research shows that granting a child the right to education at an early age is necessary sin the child gets a good start in reading stumbles (Richardson and Livingston 335-341). The lack of education to any individual hurts them not only in their lives but also in other ways too. Education helps people discover who they are, their environment and also explore and get to know their world. Educated people can make educated choices about their future. Educated citizens acquire self-confidence, skills and information to make better parents and workers. Educated people tend to have well-paying jobs, teach their children, be good law abiding citizens and live a healthy fulfilling life. An understanding of the long-term effects of education has not only been an individual responsibility, but also a nation’s and generations to come responsibility and initiative. It is vital to stress the need for education to people it brings good better results in the end.The education that an individual receives defines the differences in how they live. Education has adverse effects on health. The unplanned effects and impacts of education on health would require knowledge acquisition only to the level that individuals are investing at sub-optimal stages, or there is a market failure. Otherwise, individuals would always be grounding their education decisions on the health benefits along with financial advantages. The most probable principle for education subsidies includes the thought that individuals may be unaware of the benefits of education on health during their decision making in education. It is, therefore,paramount policy to understand the mechanism by which education affects health. For instance, it might be cheaper to transfer income directly if all education impacts operated through income improved health rather than to subsidizing schooling. However, increase in education attainment might be the appropriate response if, there was no other cheaper method for attaining the skills that ultimately affect the health. Conclusion Education is critical in the current present world. It is vital for parents to give their children the best education they can afford. All educations either modern or traditional matters in one or the other and it are necessary for students and citizens to acquire. Students should be encouraged and guided in their career choices to avoid making wrong decisions. Education is almost an essential need in the modern world. Work cited Bourdieu, P and J, C Passeron. Reproduction in education, society and culture (.Vol. 4). Sage., 1992. Bronfenbrenner, U. The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard university press, 2009. Deloria Jr, V. Knowing and understanding: traditional education in the modern world. Winds of Change 5(1). 1992. Hargreaves, A, P and D, L Shirley. The fourth way: The inspiring future for educational change. Corwin Press, 2009. Huxley, T, H and J Priestley. Science and education. PF Collier & Son, 1990. Richardson, B, Kitchen, G and G Livingston. he effect of education on knowledge and management of elder abuse: a randomized controlled trial. Age and aging, 31(5). 2002. RIGHTS, C. Asbjern Hide 2. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as Human Rights. 2000. Schlechty, P, C. Inventing better schools: An action plan for educational reform. . John Wiley & Sons., 2003. Tomlinson, S. Ethnic minorities and education: new disadvantages. In Combating educational disadvantage: Meeting the needs of vulnerable children. Routledge., 2000. Read More