From: randy (cryofan@mylinuxisp.com)
Date: Sun Jul 27 2003 - 14:12:52 MDT
I think this hypothesis has some general truth to it. I have spent a
lot of time in Asia, taught Asians, and have an Asian wife (from
Taiwan).
Maybe some of this difference in thinking styles has something to do
with the educational systems there.
They do have great respect for education. They also yearn for
education.
For example, they do have soap operas in Taiwan. One common plot line
involves a young man who is from common working stock, and who wants
to be educated. But many schools there are quite competitve, and not
everyone can be educated, and the dreams of many are smashed by scores
on tests, which they cannot pass. Often these are standardized tests.
So they are flunked out. THe young man continues to strive, to work
towards his dream--his dream of passing the test, and being educated.
So this is the whole soap opera--the story of the young man's struggle
with a test and with the educational system. Very popular plot line
in Taiwanese soap operas.
Compare that with our own soap opera plotlines....
But even so, Asian education in large part seems to revolve around
success in the system and not with learning. THere seems to be much
less interest in learning for learning's sake.
Also, my wife, who has a degree from Tawan, and is working on a degree
here, often complains about the teaching here as compared to Taiwan:
apparently the professors here do not teach to the test nearly as well
as in Taiwan, THere, the prof goes over everything needed to pass the
test in the classroom. THere is little doubt or ambiguity about
anything. Not much aggressive or independent learning or research
goes on there. Also, lab work (in engineering), is apparently far
more difficult here).
As for the Mandarin language, one interesting aspect about it that I
can gather is that the characters also tell a historical story. This
is supposedly why Taiwanese do not like the simplified characters used
by China: the simplified characters lose their historical
significance.
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-Randy
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