Which paragraph best describes your school?
________ schools had been very rigorous but had provided little outlet for individualism. All the children had the same exact books and assignments. Children were on the same schedule, no matter what. Those who did well in their education were not rewarded or accelerated. Children who struggled were not accommodated. They had been taught to wait for someone else to tell them what to do, when, and how much effort to put in.
OR
In _______ schools children could play to their strengths and pursue their own interests, and their education was somewhat customized according to their abilities. Kids had all sorts of ways to develop the capacity to act independently, to make one's own free choices, and to make decisions quickly - and not just through academic performance.
At first read, you make think these describe two very different present-day schools - at least I did when I read first came across this. Actually, the first paragraph described schools in former East Germany and the second paragraph was used to describe schools in former West Germany.
Researchers have explained that the students in East German schools displayed low confidence levels, gave up easily, and were more reliant on others' leadership.
On the other hand, the schools in West Germany created students who were self-starters - had personal initiative. These students developed the capacity to act independently and became competitors and innovators.
No comments:
Post a Comment