ways of teaching these three things that are best expressed in those
three different traditions in order to make sure that each one is taught
to its highest proficiency at Keystone.
In Math teaching, for example, it is fascinating to look at China in
contrast to math teaching in the U.S. It is still the case in Chinese
schools, all the way through high school, that students are not
encouraged to use calculators, and in many cases are not allowed to
use calculators. And not until college do they start using calculators. In
the U.S., it is exactly the opposite. Kids are using them almost before
they can talk, and they use them all of the way through school. When
they get to college, they are discouraged from using them and asked
to start thinking in a more conceptual way, using their own minds. The
Chinese way has proved more successful. There are other reasons,
but that is just one aspect. So we should be looking at the best ways
of doing things from those traditions. And that is what learning from
the world is all about. You look around you and say, okay, that country
or that system has reached a high point in that subject and let us take
from that.
“Growing will be a metaphorical
tradition of the school. Reflection
will be another one.”
Malcolm McKenzie at the Confucius Temple,
Beijing
Q:
Chinese education stresses the importance of
study in mathematics, physics and chemistry.
And Chinese students are known for their strong
abilities in these areas. Will Keystone education also
focus on these disciplines? What importance will
Liberal Arts have in Keystone’s education?
A:
Let us take that question back to where we started out, with
the fusing of three great traditions - Chinese, American and
International. Because it seems to me that you can look at these
three traditions and you can say that these are some of the different
subject areas or discip [