Brain Workout

There’s plenty of debate about whether or not Asian kids are “smarter” than Western kids, but I think this discussion is a little over-simplified. Also, creating and implementing a test that accurately compares millions of students around the world has got to be crafty feat, especially if run by governmental agencies across the world.  The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has attempted to “rate” countries for years through “evaluat[ing] education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students.” But others, including Prof Stephen Heppell and Carole Chapman share doubts about PISA, which is frequently leveraged by politicians to fuel educational policy changes. They may have a point, but I think the bigger issue is better highlighted by taking a closer look at the educational environments of Western and Asian countries more broadly.

If you are American, Canadian, or another nationality in the West, you might be looking at the 2009 PISA scores with concern… but you should first ask foreign students visiting your country for their opinion. Ask them: “What was your primary-middle-high school experience like? What did you like/dislike about school when you were home? Why do you think our students have lower international scores than yours?” They might not have an answer for every question, but you will get some intimate details about the way education is handled within their culture. You’ll probably find that the conditions that create the results you see in PISA might not be worth it…

Steve Jobs and Mac

Certainly there are improvements to be made in academic environments around the globe, but it only comes from proper self-evaluation. A poor example recently came out in China. The government of Ningbo, made a public initiative to cultivate 1400 Steve Jobs-like innovators through the “Ningbo Innovative Talent Training Program.”  It caused quite a raucous response around the Internet to say the least. The inkling that your institute could just “make” someone like Steve Jobs is uniquely Chinese, a place overwhelmed by mountains of intellectual property issues. The Japanese will also describe themselves as just innovators, but not inventors- a stereotype that they embrace publicly.

Western countries have higher educational systems that Asian countries envy. They constantly wonder what magic potion we put in the water to make our graduates masters of their own domains – whether it be technology, web, space exploration, etc.  In the US, we cultivate students who will impact the world in different ways. Not everyone is Steve Jobs, but we do know that there is a good chance another one is already out there making magic happen in his own garage now. The magic is not something that’s put into the water, but what comes out of an open society with believably achievable incentives.  A place where most people think “I’m a drop in the ocean” is not going to provide the results that come from a place like America. Let’s remember that, then be critical of ourselves again, and innovate the next phase of our educational legacy.

• Lie to me Because we’re Friends (asianliving.me)
• Future of learning: obsolescence of knowledge, return to real teaching (gigaom.com)
• Florida Educators: Yeah, We Think Asian Students Are Smarter Than Black Students, What’s Wrong With That? (oyiabrown.com)
• Most U.S. Students Lack Writing Proficiency: NAEP (huffingtonpost.com)
• What is PISA is all about? [animation] (olliebray.typepad.com)
• Australia unprepared for Asian Century (bigpondnews.com)
• Bella Book: Asian Faces (bellasugar.com)

Keep focused

What may come as a surprise for some friends, family, and students has actually been a defining moment for keeping the last 7 years of my life from gathering dust. Originally, my 5 year plan saw me coming back to New England, finding a job, and perhaps marrying a Chinese Harvard grad! But since publishing that plan I realized that none of my plans would appropriately take advantage of my valuable experience in Asia. I have made a decision based on the realization that completely moving back home would not have been the best investment of my time, business relationships, and experience. Some might be thinking, “Where did this change come from?” or “Isn’t this a little sudden?” I understand that reaction, but have a different way of  looking at it. Since it might be a bit much to swallow all at once, I’ll just describe what has been going through my mind over the past three or four weeks.

“Don’t Quit” … “Be a Jack of all Trades”  … “Diversify”

The Dip Curve

They seem like fair points for young people, right? But if I could go back and teach little Ben, some years ago, about how to be successful I’d probably disagree. Why don’t we say, “strategically quit” instead of “Don’t Quit” or “master a skill” instead of being “a Jack of all Trades”? If you feel being great or the best at something is not worth the hardship to get there, then why not quit early? Better yet, let’s not invest our time and energy in it from the get-go. I’ve played countless sports, joined loads of teams, started a bunch of projects… to what avail? Chalking up experience? Ultimately, what is the result of these delayed-quitting experiences? A serial quitter, as Seth Godin puts it in his book The Dip.

Endlessly beautifying a resume is a sociably acceptable way to say “I prefer to settle,” which isn’t going to get me any closer to my dreams or ideal lifestyle. I built TutorSearchChina.com and put it to rest. I dabbled in social ranking with TutorBook, but let it drift out to sea. My Worldshop.US experiment was a Cul-de-Sac waiting to be quit and I eventually did. And since 2009 I’ve been utilizing the experience from my master’s degree to build a network of online teachers and valuable web-based learning programs. It has recently gained a lot more momentum and I don’t want to see that all go away like previous projects. I’m tired of starting new things all the time. I don’t want to be a jack of all trades anymore.

Specialization is key. Seth mentions in his book that if you are looking for an excellent accountant, you don’t consider what his golf swing is like. You just want someone who is specialized in the field you require. If you find out that you have a rare disease, you’re going to find the doctor who has researched this specific disease; you won’t go to a general practitioner, who is good at curing many common ailments. The list goes on… and I’m sure you can think of many situations in which you’ve looked for The Best Person for the Job.

My Chinese proficiency exam results came in recently and I realized that I had surpassed my original goal of level 4 (out of 11) – I got a 6! With this certification I’m qualified to take Chinese-taught, college level courses in any Chinese university. And with this skill, I feel confident to push forward with my plans for providing online training to foreign companies in China through my EFET platform.

The decision to stay in China comes down to one requirement: SPECIALIZATION. I’m experienced and unique here. I can create online learning programs that will become a standard for training departments of foreign companies. I’m confident that I can be the best choice to fill this need and moving home now would stop myself dead in my tracks.

Serial quitter, no more.

Teacher Student Time

It’s common for us to praise countries like China, Japan, and Korea on their teaching methods. Of course, their math scores frequently deliver a spanking to American children and the future of American students gets even gloomier from there. The results are in the numbers and the proof is ample, but this educational success doesn’t come without a cost. As we attempt to compete academicaly, and globably, this cost has been (or is still being) experienced by American students with mixed responses from their administrators. At least the few administrator I’ve talked to were not full of praise about their new exam-based system.

But what I had never imagined are the changes students in China experience between public (grade) school and their university education. It’s China. Shouldn’t it all be the same? However, after a conversation tonight with one student from Guangdong province, I finally connected the dots on something that drives a stake through the heart of my original thought; and it’s the cause of certain behavior which plagues foreign employers in China everyday. They ask: “Why do my workers need my constant oversight in order to complete their tasks?”

University Gates

This burden is very common. Even I have whitnessed many incompleted, or unattempted, tasks which were clearly discussed in both English and Chinese. My assistant would just pop a fly ball into the parking lot or simply wouldn’t “do it”. I had no idea why. I used very concrete descriptions with clear action words, but still there were major descrepancies between the original task and what my employee actually performed. It had always baffled me… until tonight.

The conversation started like this… “Ben Teacher, my English is getting worse while I’m at university. Can I study more with you after class?”

“Sure, but why is it getting worse? Aren’t you an English major?” I replied, wondering how there would be a difference between high school and college.

“Because teachers in university are different. They don’t stare us while we read from the text.”

I thought and spoke synchonously, “Why were they staring at you while you read from the book?”

She said, “That is how we study for many years. But now our teachers don’t do that.”

“Well, college is more about self-motivation. You have to take more responsibilities for your own life and study.”

“But it’s hard!” she said. “I don’t think I’m getting enough practice. And that is why I want to study more with my teachers…”

Recent Grads

What most Chinese students get for years is a kind of babysitter-style of teacher. The students seem to be young birds whose wings never get a chance to fully develop and aren’t encouraged to do so. As their major exam (Gao Kao) looms on the horizon, the results of which lock them into a life-long position in society, so much pressure mounts. Parents expect their children to get the highest possible marks so that they can secure a “good” job. Meanwhile, there is little time for discovery, exploration, or creativity.

At the end of the day, we (the world) are left with a difficult choice. Do we compete on an educational standard that is easy to measure, but raises robots; or do we compare the tangible results of education and tell the exam-based educational standard to go to hell? (Or “pound sand” as my father always says).

What do you think? How do we honestly create success for our students within this global competition?

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

The New Year has passed in the West, but we are gearing up for a the Year of the Rabbit in China! Last year was an important year for setting up my online training programs, but 2011 is the year that things get really interesting: we turn up the heat on our existing web-based training and in-person study abroad programs.

EFET set up an Online Learning Academy last year using BuddyPress, which allows for private social networks built on top of WordPress. Take a look at my school and join a free session of the English Corner Buffet, which is a joint program I offer with Bu Duan Wang. BDW is a Chinese not-for-profit organization which supplements the limited courses offered to primary school students in poor rural areas. Students who don’t get a Science, Math, Chinese or English class can now study in their wired classrooms. Learn more about the volunteers in their goodwill programs on their English site.

Although it is a bit early to be sure, another development is happening for me in China in 2011. With international study abroad programs accepting over 300,000 students last year, and forecasting 645,000 by 2025, more Chinese students are chasing their dreams abroad. However, there is a disconnect between the education systems of their home and guest countries. University professors in America often find that these students lack “critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and communication skills.”[* 08/11/2010]  In the article published on The Diplomat’s website, a principal from Beijing (Jiang Xueqin) was working toward providing better preparation for students who plan to go abroad. Unfortunately, many Chinese parents disagree about what makes a “successful” student. SAT, AP, IELTS, and TOEFL are usually considered the (only) keys to success here.

We can’t ignore the value of these exams for a student’s educational prospects, but no study abroad preparation program would be complete without a strong concentration on building people-skills. That is why I’d also like to take on the challenge of delivering better-prepared Chinese students to western universities and colleges. Of course, we have a lot to learn from how others have started building programs which may increase the chances of achieving this goal.

Ultimately, this year will introduce many challenges but it is going to be a great year! If any of the above topics interest you, please feel free to contact me through Asianliving.me or ben @ efet.info

Another website devoted to helping improve rural education is Beyond Distributed, a volunteer organization set up by a very warm-hearted Taiwanese doctor. She keeps an office in the Entreprenuerial labs of my university in Zhuhai. A group of 50+ students at the university donate their time to teach Math, Chinese, English, and other subjects to students in rural China. This is an amazing effort that I support too. I’m helping them develop the Online English learning service that they will use to earn money to support ongoing volunteer work.

[update] Duke Engage is a growing program that supports undergraduate students who are willing to do a summer of volunteer work. I had the chance to meet and discuss the program with Duke professor Hsiao-Mei Ku, who is also a violinist of the Ciompi Quartet. Their program in Zhuhai teaches local students English through various engaging activities.