Interesting Book Review
The New York Times recently reviewed Amanda Ripley's book "Smartest Kids in the World." We thought parents and teachers would find both the review and the book interesting.
Ripley highlights the impact of teachers and non-cognitive factors in learning, including intrinsic motivation and drive for success. Through the experiences of American student “field agents” she explores learning in three countries. The NYT review expounds on some comparisons to the education system in our country.
FINLAND
"Rather than ‘trying to reverse engineer a high-performance teaching culture through dazzlingly complex performance evaluations and value-added data analysis,’ as we do, they ensure high-quality teaching from the beginning, allowing only top students to enroll in teacher-training programs, which are themselves far more demanding than such programs in America. A virtuous cycle is thus initiated: better-prepared, better-trained teachers can be given more autonomy, leading to more satisfied teachers who are also more likely to stay on.”
KOREA
“In Korea, the hamster wheel created as many problems as it solved.” It was relentless and excessive, yes, but it also felt more honest. Kids in hamster-wheel countries knew what it felt like to grapple with complex ideas and think outside their comfort zone; they understood the value of persistence. They knew what it felt like to fail, work harder and do better. They were prepared for the modern world.”
Read the full review here.
What are your thoughts about the differences brought up in this review?
Ripley highlights the impact of teachers and non-cognitive factors in learning, including intrinsic motivation and drive for success. Through the experiences of American student “field agents” she explores learning in three countries. The NYT review expounds on some comparisons to the education system in our country.
FINLAND
"Rather than ‘trying to reverse engineer a high-performance teaching culture through dazzlingly complex performance evaluations and value-added data analysis,’ as we do, they ensure high-quality teaching from the beginning, allowing only top students to enroll in teacher-training programs, which are themselves far more demanding than such programs in America. A virtuous cycle is thus initiated: better-prepared, better-trained teachers can be given more autonomy, leading to more satisfied teachers who are also more likely to stay on.”
KOREA
“In Korea, the hamster wheel created as many problems as it solved.” It was relentless and excessive, yes, but it also felt more honest. Kids in hamster-wheel countries knew what it felt like to grapple with complex ideas and think outside their comfort zone; they understood the value of persistence. They knew what it felt like to fail, work harder and do better. They were prepared for the modern world.”
Read the full review here.
What are your thoughts about the differences brought up in this review?