Epsilon December 2013 | Page 6

EDUCATION:  HARD  VS  SOFT,  WHICH  APPROACH  IS  BETTER   BY  ALIA  HASSAN       The  top  countries  in  terms  of  intelligence  are  by  ranking  lowest  to  highest:   Finland,  Australia,  UK,  Norway,  South  Korea,  New  Zealand,  USA,  Japan,  Israel,  Canada   (Ryo).  This  group  is  quite  varied  in  terms  of  the  different  cultures,  values  and  methods   of  study.  And  yet  they  are  all  ranked  among  the  smartest  in  the  world.  We  can  analyze   their  various  educational  methods  though  and  find  that  despite  the  vastly  different   approaches,  somehow  the  outcome  is  the  same.  As  generations  modify  the  education   and  learning  of  their  offspring,  we  are  becoming  gradually  more  and  more  efficient  in   teaching  children  and  outputting  intelligent  humans  from  schools.  In  the  future,  they   may  eventually  be  one  universal  curriculum  of  education  as  our  world  becomes  more   and  more  homogenized.  But  the  question  is  will  this  system  lean  more  towards  the   lenient  curriculums  of  Scandinavia,  or  the  rigid  curriculums  of  Asia?   There  are  stereotypes  across  the  world  about  how  Asians  are  highly  intelligent   and,  although  stereotyping  may  be  wrong,  it  does  also  have  some  truth  to  it.  Asia,  and   the  Chinese,  Japanese  and  Indians  specifically  are  always  named  as  some  of  the  most   intelligent  populations  in  the  world,  but  somehow  many  of  us  overlook  the  fact  that   many  populations  in  Scandinavian  countries  as  equally  if  not  more  intelligent.  If  we   compare  the  two  extremes  in  educational  systems,  Finland  and  China  we  can  see   enormous  differences.     Firstly,  finish  children  do  not  even  begin  school  until  they  are  seven  years  old.   During  their  primary  schooling,  they  rarely  take  home  homework  let  alone  do  exams  at   such  an  early  age.  They  get  an  hour  and  a  quarter  of  recess  a  day  compared  to  the  half  an   hour  given  in  the  USA.  The  concept  is  that  the  children  are  not  ranked  or  measured  in   any  way  during  their  first  6  years  of  schooling,  whose  curriculum  is  only  comprised  of   guidelines  and  not  specific  lesson  content.  The  only  standardized  test  they  take  is  when   they  are  16  years  old,  compared  to  the  USA  for  example  where  standardized  testing  is   the  norm.  All  students  are  taught  together  regardless  of  their  ability,  and  30%  of  the   students  receive  extra  help  during  their  primary  and  secondary  schooling.  And  the   result  of  this  free-­‐from-­‐rigidity  is  clear  in  the  statistics:  93%  of  students  graduate  high   school.  66%  of  students  attend  university  (this  is  the  highest  rate  in  Europe),  and  43%   of  them  attend  specialized  universities.  It  is  also  notable  that  the  schooling  system  in   Finland  is  completely  state-­‐funded,  and  so  all  of  this  high-­‐quality  education  is  received   for  free.  (Taylor)     The  educational  system  in  China  is  a  stark  contrast  to  that  in  Finland.  The   primary  years  of  schooling  are  compulsory  and  free,  which  is  similar,  but  compared  to   the  maximum  of  16  students  that  Finland  has,  each  Chinese  class  has  an  average  of  35   students,  ensuring  less  time  for  individual  help  and  attention.  In  rural  part  of  China,  at   the  age  of  15,  when  schooling  stops  being  free,  many  students  are  forced  to  cut  short   their  education.  The  system  breeds  a  very  competitive  attitude  that  is  seen  in  many   Chinese  people  even  as  they  grow  older,  all  student  sit  a  university  entrance  exam   during  their  senior  year.  There  are  many  schools  that  hold  mandatory  math  and  science   classes  on  Saturday  mornings,  and  there  is  ‘cram  school’  in  the  evening  where  tutors  are   available  for  one-­‐on-­‐one  help.  The  teaching   methods  focus  on  memorization  and  the   sciences  and  math,  putting  less  emphasis  on  the  arts  and  literature.  Their  summer  break   is  only  one  month  long.  This  all  seems  quite  harsh  and  serious,  but  it’s  effective.     But  after  seeing  the  differences  between  the  two  systems,  and  seeing  also  the   similar  results  that  they  have,  a  person  has  to  decide  which  would  be  a  better  means   since  the  end  is  the  same.  Thinking  od  the  emotional  and  psychological  development  of   the  students,  the  Finnish  system  is  likely  much  more  beneficial  in  its  ease  and  leniency,