久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Opinion
Home / Opinion / Op-Ed Contributors

Creating a future for small rural schools

By Berlin Fang | China Daily | Updated: 2017-04-26 07:01
Share
Share - WeChat

Students from Guangxi University of Science and Technology play with pupils in Tantou township, Liuzhou city, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in July. English, dancing, painting and calligraphy classes were held for the pupils during summer vacation. Tan Kaixing / for China Daily

Hengshui High School of North China's Hebei province, known for its large size and success in preparing students for the national college entrance examination (gaokao), recently set up a branch in Zhejiang province, stirring up a heated debate on school sizes and choices. As the big, super schools grow and small rural schools face closure and consolidation, one wonders if such a change means social progress.

From Confucius to Socrates, all great teachers in history had a limited number of students around them. They could have enrolled more students or disciples if they wanted to but knew the impact of education would diminish with the increase in the size of their classes.

Today, college-ranking organizations make class size an important criterion. Princeton, for instance, has a 1:5 teacher-to-student ratio. For Caltech, it is as low as 1:3. Less-selective universities, on the other hand, do not prioritize small classes, nor can they afford to do so given their smaller endowments. They have fewer fulltime teachers and hire adjunct faculty members or teaching assistants to serve more students. Which really compromises the effectiveness of learning.

The dwindling of population in China's rural areas may have contributed to the closure of some smaller schools. But more frequently, it is just bad judgment by those who associate school consolidation with the scale of the economy or efficiency of management. Craig Howley, of Ohio University, argues that larger schools are not necessarily cutting costs. After a certain point larger schools become expensive, as more middle-management personnel have to be hired to keep such schools running.

Operational efficiency and academic results also motivate decisions to close or consolidate schools. Hengshui High School, for instance, is known for its semi-militarized management style that produces better results at gaokao. But performing excellently at gaokao should not be the sole aim of either the school or its students.

Schools help students develop healthy character and good habits, as well as broad skills, knowledge and attitudes for a fulfilling and productive life. Research shows that for broader educational objectives, small classes can deliver better results. As size increases, it is more difficult to personalize and individualize education, or to pay attention to problems in students' growth.

Local authorities should replace their rushed decisions to close small schools with creative ways to help small schools succeed. First, they should address the staffing needs. Also, they should refrain from thinking on industrial or business lines about "efficiency". A teacher serving a few students is not a waste; instead, it is a privilege that should motivate parents to choose such schools.

Besides, rural communities should use technologies to bring the best educational resources to schools, which is not so difficult to accomplish given the technological infrastructure already in place. Ideas can also be borrowed from Tang Min, the author of MOOC

Revolution, who has compiled cases to show how the internet can bridge differences between urban and rural schools.

Keeping schools running in rural communities is an effective way to attract adult workers back to their hometowns to develop robust economies in China's less-developed areas. China has to use small schools strategically, because forced closure of schools will worsen the problems of extreme urbanization.

The author is an instructional designer, literary translator and columnist writing on cross-cultural issues.

 

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 91亚洲国产成人久久精品网址 | 欧美大片a一级毛片视频 | 日韩高清一级毛片 | 欧美大片一区二区三区 | 成人免费网站久久久 | 国产精品理论片在线观看 | 美国成人免费视频 | 三级黄色片在线免费观看 | 中文字幕第9页 | 94欧美setu | 久久成人精品免费播放 | 成人国产免费 | 久久久久毛片免费观看 | 欧美在线播放视频 | 中国女警察一级毛片视频 | 欧美做暖小视频xo免费 | 91精品宅男在线观看 | 国内精品久久久久久久久久影视 | 欧美视频在线观看免费精品欧美视频 | 日韩在线观看视频免费 | 国产精品亚洲综合网站 | 欧美午夜三级我不卡在线观看 | 亚洲成a | a级国产乱理伦片在线 | 免费观看呢日本天堂视频 | 成年男女免费视频 | 亚洲精品一区二区在线播放 | 免费永久观看美女视频网站网址 | 狠狠色丁香婷婷综合小时婷婷 | 亚洲美女影院 | 国产乱子精品免费视观看片 | 99在线视频网站 | 日韩精品中文字幕在线 | 国产精品亚洲玖玖玖在线靠爱 | 成年人免费小视频 | 国产精品合集久久久久青苹果 | 国内91视频 | 男人天堂网在线视频 | 韩国19禁主播裸免费福利 | 福利视频99| 欧美精品自拍 |