BBC has launched Part 1 of a documentary series about an experiment that was held at the Bohunt School. It is situated in the village of Liphook in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire in the south of England.
Four female and one male native Chinese Teachers were given a job to teach The British students by following the rules and regulation followed by the Chinese schools. They taught a total of 50 British ninth graders for 4 weeks.
Classes used to begin sharply at 7 am and was carried out for more than 12 hours. Morning exercise was mandatory for all of them. The Chinese maths teacher in that group gave the students the Chinese ring puzzle to solve. The students learned all their subjects along with Mandarin via a Chinese class.
Here are some of my observations regarding the BBC video about Chinese Education documentary:
- It is found that Chinese students excel in the field of science and maths whereas most of the students of the West lack it. Thus the British are forced to take Chinese education into consideration to improve them.
- The documentary (to me) gives a feeling that it’s staged. Through my research, I got to know that there are two drama societies existing in Liphook i.e. Liphook Amateur Productions (LAMPS) and (Methodist Amateur Dramatic Company) The MAD. The students were rude and misbehaved in front of the camera. It’s not a nature of normal British people.
- If the video really portraits the Bohunt School then I will never send my child to that School. But I am doubtful about it.
- The video has inaccurately portrayed the “truth” about the “perfection” of all the Chinese students and their classes. I can say that because I have been recruited here as a teacher for four years.
Chinese students are regarded as the most obedient ones. They have got a calm nature and really respect all their teachers. But this video is not able to portray it in a perfect manner.
For sure success in life, everyone should have a balance in their life i.e. in education, at the workplace and most importantly one’s private life.
Teachers are the building blocks of each and every student. They help them to learn different concepts and ideas. They also allow the students to put forward their opinion such that they can learn the pros and cons regarding it. These ideologies encourage the West.
Some of the most important benefits of Chinese Secondary Education are:
- It teaches Team Building. It is really a very important aspect of life. If you want to win and be successful in life then you have to be co-operative with everyone you deal with.
- The lessons taught to them are mostly lecture based. Note taking is very much important for college.
- There is always a high expectation for every student.
- China is a place of high competition in the field of education and of course for the job seekers.
- The school hours are generally very much longer.
Many Chinese will think that their education system is much better than the West. I don’t know how the classrooms of the US or the UK are but I can guarantee that the students studying there are far better than what is shown in the video. Lastly, I would like to comment that I feel that the video published by the BBC is biased.
The story was first published and produced by Chinadaily written by MichaelM.