傳統名校vs國際學校

bbJP

newdaddy 發表於 15-6-29 13:13
I teach in medical school and I find that even for questions that they dont know the answer, top IS  ...

咁你應該清楚，有好多想讀IB/轉IS的top students from elite local school的困難了…就是梁卓偉cut HKU medicine non jupas 的位，逼住考DSE…

AJW2010

newdaddy 發表於 15-6-29 13:13
I teach in medical school and I find that even for questions that they dont know the answer, top IS  ...

When I studied MBA overseas, I also noticed similar differences between Asian and Western students.  Asian students, including myself, are generally worried about the image, and would only want to attempt the questions when we have good confidence of knowing the "model answer".  Western students tend to "think out loud".  They will shout out anything, regardless of whether it sounds silly or very wrong from the correct answer.

There are good or bad in this mode, depends on the topics and circumstances.  

foolish.mom

回覆 AJW2010 的帖子

In a big classroom scenario (more than 10 students), the Western style students would easily catch the attention of the teachers or tutors, while the Asian ones would usually be described as "very quiet". In fact, the teachers may not have any impression on these "quiet" students. In IB style of teaching, I think the Western style students would get a better impression mark, assuming they can just get half of the answers correct, or even they don't give sensible answers or questions all the time.

Ruby1219

poonseelai 發表於 15-6-27 11:50
你實在説得太好了，有時見到D家長話小朋友可坐定定，先試傳統唔得再轉國際，坐定定幾時開始同傳統教育制度 ...

國際學校亦有坐定定和較安靜學生。今時今日國際學校的中文程度跟十年前亦不同，家長真要每間問清楚。

>> my son is exactly this type. he attends international schools from pre-school till year 9 in HK, now studying in UK.


In fact i think he can do well in the local schools as well, but i am glad that i have sent him to international schools! (although we have spent over million dollars on it). To me, the best thing about international schools is they teach children how to learn (instead of duck-feed them) and motivate them to love learning. True that once enter secondary, international schools would become academic / exam focused, more like local schools. But my son does not freak out before and during exams like the local school students do! Cos he does enjoy learning and does not care about (or afraid of) academic results that much. We always tell him that exams are only the means to let you know what you are good at and what to improve, but not the aim that you have to work crazily hard towards and care most!

FattyDaddy

foolish.mom 發表於 15-6-29 13:57
His comment is that the LS students don't have enough confidence to speak out and express their opinion ...

Confidence is perhaps not the main cause.

This thread is not so different from the many LS vs IS threads that I have seen here over the past 2 to 3 years, focusing mainly on the differences in teaching style, i.e. drilling vs inquiry based learning etc, few ever ventured to the more profound implications beyond.

I believe education is a function of society, local schools are they way they are not by chance but by design, and they are designed to churn out people which society wants in general, i.e. people deemed fit to survive and prosper in this society. It is no surprise that LS students don't speak out or express their opinion proactively, because in a society like HK and even more so in China, speaking out (especially against authority) could land one in trouble. The general traits of Chinese people being moderate, quiet, and reserved didn't just happen by chance, they are the results of a few thousand years of accumulated experiences living under ruthless authority. So It really isn't the local schools' fault for producing quiet and reserved people, quite the contrary, they would be at fault if they don't produce people like that.

So what are the implications of choosing IS over LS? Well the child may grow up to think more like a westerner than a Chinese, having more independent and critical thinking and always questioning and inquiring, and yes they will challenge their parents more than a locally educated person would. In a nutshell they will be like westerners living in HK, which has disadvantages as well as advantages. There are some very successful westerners here but most feel they could never truly fit in, even if they manage to speak Cantonese their thinking is still different from the locals. This is perhaps not a big deal for them as they will probably go home at some point, but not so for locals who think like a westerner, they could end up feeling they are outsiders on their home ground. So for those parents who don't foresee their children living anywhere but HK, think thrice before choosing IS for your children, it really is much more than just a choice of teaching style and curriculum.

964000

原帖由 FattyDaddy 於 15-06-29 發表
Confidence is perhaps not the main cause.

This thread is not so different from the many LS vs IS th ...

You spoke out the core difference. Many people here just advocate being outspoken and opinionated as advantages. But in really at our workplace, these people may end up as the minority as "trouble maker" "吹水怪" "吾識性"。Mind you most of the bosses and colleagues here are trained up in local school, their mindsets are the local school mindsets. They still like obedient and hardworking staffs and colleagues.
I knew all these disadvantages but I am still pro-IS, I have these struggles before but at the end, I would put my daughter's happiness at the highest priority.
I believe this is the main reason local Singaporians are not allowed to choose IS too, rather than just leaving the vacancies to the foreigners.

lui

原帖由 FattyDaddy 於 15-06-29 發表
Confidence is perhaps not the main cause.

This thread is not so different from the many LS vs IS th ...

I agree with your view. It's the culture not just simply a teaching style.

foolish.mom

回覆 FattyDaddy 的帖子

Good points!
However, I believe that as more middle class children grow up in IS, this type of new people will grow in the society,  and hopefully they can hold middle management positions in the future. When I take the MTR, I notice many young people talking in English. It seems they attend IS or come back from overseas during school holiday. Yes, the population is growing fast, especially in middle class area like Causeway Bay and Central.

Being outspoken might not be a disadvantage in the modern society. Just as my son who got a leadership position in the youth organisation, partly because he is outspoken. It is true that I have to remind him very often, not to give his opinion when the situation is not appropriate. He just got an internship and attended the preliminary meeting today. I have warned him many times not to challenge his supervisor, be respectful and obedient. After the meeting, he said 我都無乜challenge 佢. I believe he will learn the skills of when to speak appropriately when he gets mature.

Wallaby

Just along with the topic, just wonder which school is better for K1: ISF or Canadian International?

FattyDaddy

foolish.mom 發表於 15-6-29 17:21
However, I believe that as more middle class children grow up in IS, this type of new people will grow in the society,  and hopefully they can hold middle management positions in the future

I wish that is the direction in which HK is heading, but the real trend seems to be HK becoming more like China than more international. An IS educated Hongkonger will probably find it even harder to fit into mainstream HK society in future.

shadeslayer

Don't over analyze it. Hong Kong still has a lot of foreign companies with foreign bosses. You can never tell where our kids will end up staying or what organizations they will work for in the future. There is so much in the future we cannot control. But I can control "now" what education should my child receive. In the future is creativity important?  Or obedience & expert knowledge going to rule?

I don't think it is simply the case of the society in HK demands quiet people. The tradition of education has not changed even though the world has globalized and competition is now global.  What if a society demands more uneducated people because there isn't enough University jobs, do I want to stop sending my child to University just to make sure she fits in to the mainstream?

My suggestion is that parents should give their children the "best" education. Parent have to define what is the best education. I for one will not give my child education that I don't believe in, just because she may not fit well with certain type of people or certain organization in the future.  

shadeslayer

原帖由 FattyDaddy 於 15-06-29 發表
I wish that is the direction in which HK is heading, but the real trend seems to be HK becoming more ...

I have lived in HK most of my life and I don't consider myself fitting in to the mainstream society that well. I am not able to work for certain types of organizations. But is that a problem?  Who says we must be able to work for all types of organizations?  Who says we must be comfortable with all kinds of social groups?  

That does not stop me from working and enjoying life in Hong Kong in general.

FattyDaddy

shadeslayer 發表於 15-6-29 18:35
There is so much in the future we cannot control ...

True, no one can control the future, but then there is an obvious trend in HK which should not be ignored, and that trend is not in the direction of becoming more internationalized.

> I am not able to work for certain types of organizations. But is that a problem?

It can be a problem if those certain types of organizations turn out to be most organizations.

> Who says we must be comfortable with all kinds of social groups?

No one is saying that. My point is choosing an international school is more than just a choice of teaching style and curriculum, parents should be aware that giving their children an international school education starting from a tender age has certain social consequences which are seldom discussed here. Some parents may mind, some (you?) may not, but they should at least be aware of these aspects.

shadeslayer

原帖由 FattyDaddy 於 15-06-29 發表
本帖最後由 FattyDaddy 於 15-6-29 22:32 編輯

It can be a problem if those certain types of organizations turns out to be most organizations.

Xxxxxxx

I would even argue that it is not a problem if certain types of organization turns out to be the majority.   The majority of companies in HK must be SMEs. What if a person is best suited to an MNC?  Is this person's future doomed?

Likewise, the majority of jobs in HK do not need a degree. Do we want to fit in to the mainstream by not sending our children to Universities?  Do we want to maximize the child's job market potential by not giving him/her the best in education?  Probably not.

The clash of the child's outspoken character and certain parents expectation of traditional obedient children can be a much bigger problem. I agree that needs to be factored in. In this case IS education should not be defined as the "best" education by the traditional parents.

Aren't we all IS parents and students the minority here in HK, how are we holding up?

FattyDaddy

shadeslayer 發表於 15-6-29 22:51
the majority of jobs in HK do not need a degree. Do we want to fit in to the mainstream by not sending our children to Universities? ...

It is not about qualifications but a very westernized attitude and way of thinking, which is not mainstream in HK, in fact it is not about job opportunities either but social acceptance.

> The clash of the child's outspoken character and certain parents expectation of traditional obedient children can be a much bigger problem

You got it, and not just the parent's expectation, other relatives, employers, colleagues, friends, they all have certain expectations too.

shadeslayer

原帖由 FattyDaddy 於 15-06-29 發表
It is not about qualifications but a very westernized attitude and way of thinking, which is not mai ...

I will be disappointed if my child lives for my expectations, or our relatives and friends'.  Other people might be different though.

ANChan59

Why we need to take either extremes? How about in between ? This may be the best for different kids and parents.

FattyDaddy

shadeslayer 發表於 15-6-30 00:03
I will be disappointed if my child lives for my expectations, or our relatives and friends'.  Other  ...

Well, the decision to send one's child to an international school is accompanied by a set of expectations too, and one would probably be disappointed if the results are unexpected :)

Jasmine11

Could local private school be the middle? Can it achieve a balance of both?

If the kids is likely to stay in Hk (eg. Not studying university overseas), would private school be an option? Thanks