Conditions for Australian children to attend primary schools

Education in Australia begins in kindergarten and ends in university. Institutionally speaking, ordinary children can contact kindergarten education from the age of 3. I started a year of prep at the age of 5. Prep is equivalent to preschool in China. But the difference is that this kind of preparatory course is provided by regular primary schools (public or private). No matter which country, the primary school study time is the longest, generally 6 or 7 years. Then three years in junior high school, three years in high school and four years in college. Australian primary schools are ***7 years (prep, year 1? Year6), one year more than China. Many people think that the primary school stage in western education is not important, and even say that children are stupid every day and can't learn anything without doing homework. This view has indeed misled a large number of parents in China, asking them to postpone their children's plan to go abroad to junior high school or high school. Let's listen to Kevin talk about what the real primary education in Australia is like, and also provide some basis for future parenting education.

First, the formal preschool (prep)

In China, due to the pressure of social competition, the social pressure of adults is gradually passed on to children. Coupled with the concept of not letting children lose at the starting line, various private preschool classes came into being. However, such institutions generally have more or less operational problems. If my children don't come to Australia, I will also consider sending them to a huge school near my home for preschool. But not long ago, there was a problem of dining hygiene in this school. See this video for details.

In fact, preschool is not necessary in China. After three years of general kindergarten, it can just connect with the first grade of primary school. However, it is precisely because of the competitive pressure and parents' anxiety about their children's education that many children flock to preschool classes to learn the knowledge of the first grade in advance. Domestic kindergartens are mainly public, and everyone has to go to a public kindergarten. The quality there is guaranteed and the cost is low, but it is different in Australia.

Childcare in Australia is not public, so the fees are generally higher. The reason for this design is that the government thinks that children are 1? You should be accompanied and cared for by your parents when you are 5 years old. Therefore, there are very few subsidies for kindergartens, and there are very few children in each class (usually 4 or 5 children with a teacher), and the labor cost of teachers is very high. The daily cost of each child can reach about 100 Australian dollars (fortunately, when the baby came to Australia, he was 5 years old and did not need day care). Now I understand why foreigners take care of their three babies and would rather not go to work than send them to day care. But if both parents go to work, the government will provide subsidies to send their children to kindergarten. It can pay almost half the cost. This part of the expenses need not be reimbursed by parents and directly credited to the kindergarten account. Parents only need to pay their share. By the way, most things in Australia are like this. If you don't need to submit your money for reimbursement (cliam), but the government will pay directly for you, you only need to pay your share. Except for tax deduction, because all taxes are withheld in advance, you need to return the creditor's rights that you should not pay yourself.

Second, primary school is the best time to mold children.

Seven years of long-term study in primary school is a good opportunity to shape children. During this period, many lifelong habits have been formed. There is an old saying in China, "When you are three, you look down on the small, and when you are seven, you look down on the big", which fully reflects the influence of childhood on your child's life. The schoolwork burden of primary school is much smaller than that of junior high school and senior high school, which also provides an excellent opportunity for parents to shape their children. Australian primary schools finish school at 3: 30 pm, and parents take care of them most of the time after school, so foreigners are used to being full-time mothers to take care of their babies. Don't think that after school is free time. In fact, there are still many tasks to be studied, which I will introduce in detail later. As the saying goes, children have more opportunities to get along with their parents during this period. In addition, they are now a blank sheet of paper with strong plasticity, and parents can influence their children through words and deeds. By the middle and high school, the children have their own social circle, and I believe they won't want to listen to us old people nagging anymore. At that time, it must be a very low-level thing for a child to play with his parents every day. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a good school for children in primary school and make a long-term development plan.

Third, school districts are also very popular in Australia.

Most primary schools in Australia are not divided into districts, but most, not all. What kind of primary schools are divided into school districts? The answer is a good primary school, which everyone wants to go to. These schools need to provide purchase contracts and bills for water, electricity and coal before they can leave. Isn't this the same as our big Beijing? Yes! The same! I still want to buy a school district! Even if the house in the school district and the house in the non-school district are separated by a street, the house conditions are the same, with a difference of 20%? 30% price. Generally, the prices of primary school districts are above one million. Considering the large house (usually four bedrooms, two bathrooms and two halls, with an area of about 700 square meters), it feels much cheaper than the school district in Beijing. Another difference is that the Australian school district also recognizes renting, that is, as long as it is rented in the school district, it can also go to the corresponding primary school. The following is a website to see the school district housing, which shows that the concept of school district housing in Australia is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. melbourneschoolzones.com

I still remember that some time ago, an "immigrant father" circulated on the Internet to give up the domestic school district and immigrate to the United States. I hope this immigration can change children's education. I don't think he knows that foreign countries also have feelings for school districts. And the total price (although the unit price is low) is not cheaper than that in China. I hope he won't be scared when he lands.

Four. Decentralized multi-course education system

The domestic education system has been criticized by many parents, and it has also become one of the main reasons why people choose to study abroad. So what is Australia's education system like? Is it better or worse than domestic ones? Kevin doesn't want to judge here, so let's leave everything to everyone to taste.

Australia's education system is decentralized, and the federal government is not responsible for education. Education is planned and managed by the state government itself. State policies are slightly different, but generally the same. It is worth mentioning that there are huge differences between Australian education programs and domestic education programs, which are mainly reflected in the formulation of teaching syllabus and the production of teaching plans. There is a debate in the education circle-"which is better, one program with many books or one program with one book?" . An outline with multiple textbooks means that an outline corresponds to multiple teaching plans or textbooks, and an outline corresponds to a teaching plan. Australia can be regarded as an authentic one-lesson multi-book, or even a "one-lesson no-book" teaching. Take Victoria where Melbourne is located as an example. The outline is compiled by the state government, but there are no textbooks under the outline. All the teaching materials and teaching plans are written and produced by the teachers themselves according to the syllabus. The teaching materials incorporate teachers' personal experience and knowledge. Therefore, the teaching of each class is unique and unique. The same knowledge points, the teaching methods of each class may be different. Only when a teacher makes a very good lesson plan and is recognized by other teachers will it be promoted and implemented in other classes. The advantage of this teaching method is that teachers organize lesson plans according to local materials, which are generally close to students' lives. The related resources of lesson plans often come from nearby community libraries, fire stations and police stations. Others come directly from daily life. For example, primary school teachers are teaching 1? When the number is 100, I won't tell you directly 1? How to count 100? Instead, let students find 100 of the same things at home or in the park and bring them to school. Then the teacher stimulates the children's interest in counting by letting everyone show the 100 items. Let's connect counting with practical problems and deepen the impression of learning. The children in my daughter's class brought "rice, leaves, cotton balls, mm beans" and other things.

My daughter chose breakfast cereal.

I asked her why she liked it, and she said that she could count and eat. As a result, when she came back at night, she told me that everyone had a good time. And the numbers of one, two and three have counted to one hundred. Finally, the teacher made a crown for each child, which read: "I am smart 100 days!" " "

This teaching method will be very hard for teachers, so in the eyes of Australians, primary school teachers are not a leisurely job. This counting lesson plan makes me feel that every child is different, and they are all feeling the world in their own way. I believe everyone will learn something different from it, and over time, they will become people with distinct personalities. They have a different outlook on life and values from ours, and then they really grow up.

V. Difficult learning tasks

In the past, it was always said on the Internet that the students of Western Catholic Church were relaxed and just played every day. But there is always a huge gap between rumors and facts. In fact, learning in Australian primary schools is no easier than that in China. It's just that everyone is tired in different directions and ways. For example, homework, don't think that there is nothing in Australia, but it is no less than that in China. However, many assignments in Australia are not compulsory, and most of them are voluntary assignments for reading. People who don't pay attention may think that there is no homework, but it is actually because they are ignored. Take my daughter for example. The teacher puts a new book in her reading bag every day.

This book needs her to finish reading on her own. Moreover, the teacher will put a table in the reading bag, which is full of questions that can be asked to children during reading. For example, how do you feel after reading this book? Or what does the cover tell us? In addition, the books in the reading bag are carefully arranged. The teacher will arrange the books to be read one semester at a time. The difficulty goes from shallow to deep, and it is progressive every day. The teacher's task is to change a book for the students every day.

I haven't finished reading the books in my reading bag. There is a library bag waiting for me. There are two books in it.

Because children choose their favorite books from the school library, make sure they are very interested in reading these two books. These two books are much more difficult than reading the books in the bag. Every book is basically a big picture book with about 100 pages. It is indeed difficult for children to read, but it is not a problem to finish reading with the help of parents driven by interest. These homework assignments fully demonstrate the importance of reading and independent thinking in Australian education. Teachers don't stare at children to finish these reading tasks, and no teacher has checked the completion of these homework. It seems that the teacher only cares about the effect of reading. Because of reading more, my ability has naturally improved, which can also be reflected in my daily study. If there is a problem, the teacher will communicate with the parents in time.

Sixth, the perfect combination of reading and speech.

In order to improve students' reading effect and reading ability, teachers have their own inspection method-presentation method.

There are generally 20 students in a primary school class. They all have their own exhibition days. Usually once a week, the topic is closely related to the teacher's teaching content and arranged at the beginning of the semester. For example, my daughter's speech day is every Friday. The first speech she received was entitled "Choose a feeling and explain how it can help us".

How can our sense of smell help us? In fact, this topic is very difficult for a 6-year-old child. Because children of this age don't know what sence is yet. Under my guidance, she finally figured out "sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste". Then she felt that vision was the most important thing. But I don't know how to explain how it can help us. This is when parents need guidance. I began to help her remember in chronological order what she had done all day, where she used her vision and what would happen without it. Finally, the daughter described the place where vision is needed from getting up to going to bed.

In the morning

We look for bread and milk with our eyes. I eat them. Very, very delicious! You can tell others that you are happy or angry while playing. I read books with my eyes at school. When I got home, I found my toy with my eyes and had a good time.

Thank you for your relief! Is there a problem?

Australian primary schools attach great importance to the combination of reading and practical application. The school believes that reading and presentation constitute a good cycle. Reading can be regarded as input, and statements can be regarded as output. The teacher examines the learning effect through input and output, and all the intermediate understanding and digestion processes are left to the children to complete independently. The amount of reading provided in daily life can certainly meet the reading needs of students. The source of reading is not only the school reading bag and library bag, but also the library near home. The resources are still quite rich, and the key depends on whether the children have developed good reading habits.

Write it at the end

Although primary education in Australia is not easy, children are very happy. Because of the teaching methods to stimulate interest, the satisfaction brought by independent thinking, and the sense of achievement in applying what they have learned, children's daily life is full and happy. This is the Australian primary education I experienced.

In a blink of an eye, my daughter has spent 2 $ term (4 $ term per year) at school. I hope she has a good reading habit and enjoys every day!