How does education in this country cultivate the people needed by society in the UK | Education | Society
On the afternoon of July 16th, the book sharing and exchange conference on "Achieving Children: Why Good Schools Matter" hosted by CITIC Publishing Group was held at the Xuhui store of Zhongshuge in Shanghai. In this event, Li Shuang, a former media figure and now deeply involved in the field of education, introduced his summary of the characteristics of British education after settling in London for more than 20 years, and also answered parents' questions about British education. In her opinion, for children, education is not only about learning knowledge and skills, but also about establishing a foundation for cultivating aesthetics, good physical fitness, and healthy psychology, helping them grow comprehensively.
This article is a compilation of Li Shuang's speech.
Education is something that benevolent people love mountains and wise people love water. Every type of education is not wrong, and each type of education has its own characteristics.
In fact, every type of education is closely related to a country's history, society, culture, and even its laws. Education is not an independent thing that falls from the sky.
Why write "Achieving Children - Why Good Schools Matter"? I hope to put it within such a framework, within a social and historical framework, so that everyone can understand the values of the British people, including social orientation and national trends. What is education for? Education is for the sake of society and to cultivate the talents needed by the country.
If you say education is about upward mobility, that's right. Arm yourself with knowledge and let everyone use it to keep the country flowing upwards, because it's not just about one person's upward mobility.
"Universities mainly use the surname 'Gong'."
I have found that people are very interested in British education, and even say that British education is the "top tier" in the education industry. Why is this?
The world's first university was in Italy. If it is considered "top tier", why did Italy not later develop into the mainstream of education?
The current state of education in the UK, in my opinion, is closely related to the development of society, culture, and law throughout the country, and then specifically reflected in the universities in the UK.
British universities are the same as Chinese universities, they are public in nature, and there are only 7 private universities in total, which is particularly different from the United States. Public universities mean they have to undertake the educational tasks of the vast majority of students in the UK. So everyone can also see why universities such as Oxford and Cambridge have been striving to expand their enrollment for public students for so many years, because it is their obligation and it must be done.
Universities such as Oxford and Cambridge also offer pre university courses specifically for students in public schools, ensuring social mobility and cultivating the talents needed for the entire society through this so-called "downward trend".
"Education is not about teaching perfect scoring children"
Having been in the UK for many years, I have summarized that there are two characteristics of education in the country: firstly, British education places great emphasis on personalization, where different schools have differences and respect the personalized development of each student.
I often encounter parents running over and asking why my child only scored 80 on the exam. Perhaps because I have been in the education system in the UK for a long time, I find it strange to get a full score on exams. If you have a perfect score in humanities, it's even more strange. From the perspective of British education, it is incorrect for the exam committee to be lazy when taking full marks or approaching full marks. Because this means you have mastered all the knowledge, how can this be possible?
A point of view that I have communicated with British university teachers is that we have never found the perfect student. What we are looking for is a student who can teach. If this student already knows everything and you scored 100 on the exam, what should I teach you? I don't have to teach anymore. They have never looked for a child who knows everything, and they hope that students can benefit the most from this education system.
Secondly, the educational values in the UK are very international, which means comprehensive education or quality education before the age of 16, and helping children choose majors after the age of 16 to promote career and professional development.
"How to define a good school, good students, and good parents"
The subtitle of my book is "Why is a good school important", what is a good school?
As the saying goes, the school that suits your child is a good school.
What is a good student? Just like good schools, there are different opinions. What do British people think is a good student? It can be said that they are students with personality, characteristics, and the ability to develop comprehensively. They do not lack students who do well in exams, and they do not need to do so well.
In the UK, another characteristic of good students is that they excel in sports. In my first book, I had a chapter titled "Sports, Sports, Sports.".
What is a good parent? I particularly hope that parents not only take on the role of parents, but also take on a public role.
In the role of parents, your first priority is to ensure the physical and mental health development of your child; The second is to have the self growth of parents, constantly learning and reflecting; The third aspect is the perception of parents, which is their self-awareness and understanding of family positioning. Only after these are confirmed can we say what standards or hopes you have for your child's education. I think it's a logical relationship, rather than saying that your hopes for your child are falling from the sky, or that you are learning from others. Finally, it's very difficult to quit and let go, and I'm also doing it now.
The process of a child's growth is the process of parents withdrawing, the process of letting go. The faster they grow, the earlier we must let go and the more resolute we must withdraw. If he doesn't grow up, as a parent, you have a responsibility, and you also have an obligation. This obligation is your social obligation, because you don't live alone in society, you can't say so irresponsibly that this child belongs to my family. He is not, he is really not. He is the next generation, and we need to hand over the baton.
"Achieving Children: Why Good Schools Matter" by Li Shuang, published by CITIC Publishing Group
