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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 8:06 am Post subject: Korean Students Tops at Science |
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Korean Students Tops at Science
A recent report showed that among the world's children at age 15, Korean students are in the leading group in math, science and reading scores, and excel especially at science.
According to the report jointly announced Tuesday by UNESCO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among the 43 nations studied in the research, students of Finland showed the greatest level of reading capacity while Korean and Japanese students excelled in math and sciences. In science, Korea was placed first, scoring 552 points, and Japan followed with 550. In math, Korea was third behind Hong Kong and Japan. Korea was ranked seventh in reading ability.
The report pointed out that Italy, which spends twice per student on education than Korea does, came in with lower than average scores among the OECD nations.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200306/200306300021.html |
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flutieflakes
Joined: 16 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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| if kids at home studied as much as these kids are pushed to, we would be right there too................ |
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Dan
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Sunny Glendale, CA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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i doubt that somehow
one thing about growing up in the US, i really felt in college as a computer science major, that the international students were just way ahead of american students in terms of mathematics, especially higher end like calculas and 3 dimensional physics.
i understand the asian curriculum is a lot of repetition and memorization, but in subjects like math and science, i wonder if that is not the better way to go. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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I think korean students are really good at taking tests, which is good but assesment is only a tool not the end results. Perhaps why so many of these kids have so much trouble thinking outside the square.
Why if this country is so good at science does it's national airline have one of the worst safety reputations? A co worker was walking past a building site and heard a sound like a flying fox to see the workers duck as bricks went flying after the supply lift (which had no break) dropped 5 stories.
CLG |
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weatherman
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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I will tell you how Korea gets such good scores. The education department picks the schools at which the test will be given. Then to just to make sure that the scores are good only the best students at the school are allowed to take the test. Hince Korea scores on top. What bull. If anybody spends anytime on the ground in Korea, you soon come to learn that a total lack of science and its application to everday life is sorely missing around here. All this is my guess...
Last edited by weatherman on Tue Jul 01, 2003 9:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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canuckistan
Mod Team
Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Location: Training future GS competitors.....
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Korean kids are very good at memorize and spew which is why they're so great until they hit university. Creative and independent thinking takes free time... |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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It's all elementary as to why Korean kids are good in those areas.
Heck, many go to school 12 hours a day straight.
They go to English, math, science and music hagwons.
They're always studying.
Way to go, Korea!
Puts American kids to shame for sure.
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jaderedux
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Lurking outside Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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Not to down play any of these scores....but
| Quote: |
| Puts American kids to shame for sure. |
Yup, they do! They take tests better than any students I have ever seen. They cram they prepare and then they forget. I am sorry but I am in the trenches.
If it has been on the test......next week it is gone. I get so frustrated. I try so hard to dovetail my lessons but it is nearly impossible. Once a concept is learned then tested it is forgotten.
Now when it comes to math and some science this might be the ticket but rote memorization will do nothing if you have to CREATE something.
I think there needs to be some sort of balance. If I ask these students questions that require them to think out of the box for even a second they almost implode....and some just cry. BUT MISS _________ THAT ISN'T IN THE BOOK they wail.
These student have remarkable stamina and drive but no ability to think beyond what is fed them. You see it in the business world. Creativity is NOT rewarded...thinking is not rewarded. Taking a good test is and mindless obedience is....I have friends who work for varying sizes of companies and it would never occur to them to challenge or bring new ideas to their superiors.
The test thing is great but true intellectual greatness is not memorization of facts it is subjective thinking...thinking, pondering the what if's....everyone else ignores. Some of great science discoveries were not always by the "respected learned men" but the scoffed at renegades. Pastuer, Einstein, Curie, Goddard, Jobs, Gates, Da Vinci, Jung, Freud, Lister. They were the intellectual renegades not necessarily the good test takers.
A test only measures what you can remember. Very seldom what you know and retain. I have great respect for these students. I think if the energy they used to take these tests was harnassed to make them better thinkers they would be true intellectual giants. They have the drive and capacity but the society does not allow for anything but the SCORE AND THE TEST. I think it is a great pity and waste of brain power.
My .02.
Jade |
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whatthefunk
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Location: Dont have a clue
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
i understand the asian curriculum is a lot of repetition and memorization, but in subjects like math and science, i wonder if that is not the better way to go.
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I don't know if i agree with you. It seems like koreans know their math and science, but they don't know why it all happens. They didn't do many experiments and proofs in school, they just memorized.
A teacher that works in my school can name 150 kinds of bacteria, but she doesn't have a clue what use any of them are to science. She teaches math and so can ramble on about all sorts of graphs and equations, but she can't solve real life problems at all so they are of no use. I bet she'd do real well on a UNESCO test though
Just to ward off future hostilities, I would like to add that i am in no way saying that all koreans are like this, just the ones that i have run into.
I need to put a disclaimer on all my posts i think to fend off any unathorized wayguk bashing... |
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Paji eh Wong
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Can anyone out there with a background in the sciences name an East Asian scientist? I can name one Japanese psychologist, and that's it. |
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flutieflakes
Joined: 16 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2003 12:42 am Post subject: |
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| i ask kids in my school what the toughest exams are and they reply "p.e."........they have to memorize rules for sports that they don't even play in class.......the same goes for art, family studies and music.....memorizing meaningless information.........sure dan, they do kick our ass in math (trigonometry in middle school), but like i say, if we spent the time and money that these kids do in studying, i guarantee you we would be right there with them......... |
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whatthefunk
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Location: Dont have a clue
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| flutieflakes wrote: |
| i ask kids in my school what the toughest exams are and they reply "p.e."........they have to memorize rules for sports that they don't even play in class.......the same goes for art, family studies and music.....memorizing meaningless information.........sure dan, they do kick our ass in math (trigonometry in middle school), but like i say, if we spent the time and money that these kids do in studying, i guarantee you we would be right there with them......... |
Sad but true...at my hagwan, the middle school students study sports and physical fitness for their mid terms, but don't actually play any of the sports. One of the teachers was complaining about having to teach the kids computers...there aren't any computers in the hagwan, so they just learn what they would do assuming they had computers. I suppose there is a place for this kind of learning in school, but it would be much more helpful if the students could actually play the sports and run the computer programs.
| Paji eh Wong wrote: |
| Can anyone out there with a background in the sciences name an East Asian scientist? I can name one Japanese psychologist, and that's it. |
Good point. I was talking to some Koreans about this and the fact that no Korean has ever won the nobel prize for anything like art or literature. The Koreans I talked to seemed to know damn well that the reason for this was their schooling system, but when asked what could be done, they simply said 'nothing can be done. Its hopeless...' Again, a lack of creative thinking... |
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Dan
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Sunny Glendale, CA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:21 am Post subject: |
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you guys have to take a comp sci 201, or a physics 303 and then you'll understand what i'm talking about.
and for all the extra classes asian students take, i don't ever recall a math hakwon. |
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whatthefunk
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Location: Dont have a clue
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:26 am Post subject: |
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| Dan wrote: |
you guys have to take a comp sci 201, or a physics 303 and then you'll understand what i'm talking about.
and for all the extra classes asian students take, i don't ever recall a math hakwon. |
My hagwan has three math teachers at it. There's another hagwan across from my apartment that only teaches math. |
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HardyandTiny
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2003 6:49 am Post subject: |
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Koreans are good at math, that is true.
Koreans are improvisors not inventors, that is true. |
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