Asian education

I was taken by a recent survey that appeared in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday June 22. In light of all of the press regarding the proposed Gonski reforms a number of Australian parents were asked what they want in the education of their children. The statistic that immediately jumped out at me was that 24.3% of surveyed parents said that they would like to see new teaching methods and schools developed like there are in Asia. My first reaction was "Are they serious?"

Following my initial reaction a number of questions sprung into my mind:

• Why do these parents see an Asian style education as the way forward?
• Are they aware of what occurs in an Asian education environment?

I then attempted to clarify why these parents see an Asian style education so desirable. Firstly, I believe that Australian parents see Asian students succeeding in many education environments within Australia. Asian students often dominate academically and many academically selective schools in NSW seem to have a significant number of children from these backgrounds. Scan through the list of high achievers in the HSC Honour Roll and one will find a high proportion of Asian names. Many university courses (often those that appear to be science or maths based) attract high numbers of Asian students.

It is certainly not through any revolutionary teaching practice or pedagogy of Asian schools that allows their students to succeed. Having visited a number of local schools in Hong Kong and China I have certainly not been overawed by the way that staff go about their instruction. Asian classrooms are predominantly dominated by a teacher who stands at the front of a large class (often between 30-45 students in each class) and instructs. There is little interaction by the teacher with students and students are not called upon to contribute regularly. The curriculum is heavily text book driven.

The question therefore arises as to why this dominance in academics by Asian students occurs? I have reflected greatly on this question and have come to the conclusion that one of the main reasons for this success is due to expectation. A great deal is expected from Asian students from their family, their school and generally their society. Whilst these expectations can be seen as negative, obviously they are achieving results. I have previously blogged about the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother http://mrspainsworld.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/battle-hymn-of-tiger-mother.html Whilst this book was about a Asian-American the manner in which the girls in the book were educated was in a predominantly Asian manner. Whilst the students who are the central figures in the book do certainly achieve some level of success it does however also show the dangers that come with such high expectations and work load.

Having taught in Hong Kong for eight years I certainly came across Chinese students who had a significant amount of expectation placed upon them. Whilst the school I taught at undertook an Australian approach to education with a NSW curriculum we had a large proportion of Chinese students. At times clarifying to their parents that we do not place undue expectations on students was a challenge. It was important to stress to both students and parents the importance of having a healthy balance in their lives. There was a constant battle regarding homework: Chinese parents wanted more, Australian parents less. I experienced parent interviews for Year 6 students where I was asked for university advice for a 12 year old. 

A high proportion of Asian students attend some form of external tutoring or lessons outside of school hours. At times this borders on the ridiculous with students time outside of the classroom being totally crammed with extra maths, English, art or sport lessons. Singapore and South Korea are apparently notorious for the extent at which students attend tutorial centres. The South Korean government have established a type of police force that raids tutorial centres after a certain time to ensure that there are no students on site. A company such as Kumon flourishes in Asia. These 'extras' also contribute somewhat to the academic success of Asian students.

The next question that arises therefore is why don't we place the same heavy expectations upon our students here in Australia if we want them to achieve at the same level as Asian students? My take on this is that Australian parents and schools are very conscious about their children's feelings and self esteem. To overburden them may cause damage to these areas. I do find this somewhat surprising as I believe in Australia we are far better equipped for supporting students emotionally, socially and academically. This may be treading a fine line however as youth mental health is a significant issue in our country.

As an educator I set out to challenge my students from the outset of the year. Humans grow from being challenged. If a student is not challenged they will stagnate. I make it quite clear to both students and parents that I will be providing a challenging educational environment but I ask the parents to support me in my quest and their children in their learning. If a child knows that they are going to be supported both at home and at school they will be more open to the challenges that are provided. I like to believe that I have experienced some levels of success with the challenging environment for which I provide students.

Anyhow this is my take on why Asian students succeed in education and why Australian parents are attracted to this success. It is possible to achieve with Australian students. Let's raise our expectations, but in turn we must strengthen the support structures that exist both at home and at school.