Comparative analysis of Japanese and British education models

The Japanese education model is completely different from the British education model. Japanese parents like private schools and are very strict with their children's education, while British parents maintain a reasonable distance and have relatively loose education. Follow me below to understand the comparison between Japanese and British education. Comparative analysis of Japanese and British education models

Japan

Cruel private school competition

Use the train carriage as a classroom and play games with the cute and generous principal... Many readers who have read the famous Japanese children's literature "Little Doudou by the Window" may have the impression of Japanese elementary schools that they have a loose teaching model like Ba Academy;

Pay attention to sports, storage, etiquette... in In the eyes of many Chinese, Japan attaches great importance to quality education for children, and children grow up in a relaxed learning environment. But in reality, are Japanese children really so relaxed?

Due to work reasons, the children of reporters from "Global" magazine also came to attend an ordinary public elementary school in Tokyo.

After one semester, apart from holding two parent-teacher meetings to convey the overall teaching focus at this stage and displaying the children’s handicraft works, there seems to be not much communication content between home and school. The entire academic and The school atmosphere is relaxed and happy.

However, not long after the happiness, the reporter began to feel a little flustered. Is it really okay to study so easily? Do all Japanese children get into college so easily? With various questions in mind, reporters began to explore the overall picture of Japanese primary education through various channels.

At Yushima Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, people hang wooden prayer plaques on the wishing wall to pray for students’ exams

All the way from “private” to elite

Japan Primary education in China is mainly divided into two types: public and private. Regardless of whether it is district or city-owned, public elementary schools do not require examinations. As long as you live in the school district, you can enter without examination. However, private elementary schools not only have tuition fees several times higher than those of public schools, but also have to pass an entrance exam. The better private elementary schools, the higher the threshold.

From the perspective of curriculum content, good private primary schools generally start teaching English from the first grade, and the curriculum content is rich and practical. The public elementary school where the reporter’s children attended did not offer an “international exchange” class until the third grade, and the content was very simple. In other subjects such as Chinese, mathematics, social studies, and science, there is also a huge gap in the teaching content between private and public schools.

The class length is also different. Public schools usually finish at 15:00, while private elementary schools finish at around 17:00, and there are still various homework assignments. After six years of primary school, the overall competitiveness of students in public primary schools and private primary schools has become far different.

In addition, Japan began to promote "coherent middle and high school education" in 1995, and many good junior high schools and good high schools have been tied together. Therefore, in order to enter a prestigious university, Japanese children have to work hard from the time they are promoted from elementary school to junior high school. Because if you fail to enter a good junior high school, it means that you will not be able to get into a good high school, and it will be difficult to enter a prestigious university.

Going to a private elementary school—taking the exam for a key private junior high school—going directly to a key private high school—entering a key university has become the path for many Japanese parents to cultivate the next generation of elites.

However, after studying in private schools, the high tuition fees are difficult for ordinary families to support. Of course, parents of children in public primary schools will not give up investing in their children’s education just because they did not take the private path. They all set their sights on another way to strengthen themselves - private schools.

UK

There is no "group" for parents to withdraw from, but it does not mean they will let it go completely

The British education atmosphere is generally relaxed, and most schools will also pay attention to strengthening family education. While communicating with the school, maintain a reasonable distance to avoid transferring too much teaching pressure to parents.

Communication mainly relies on emails

British people are accustomed to writing letters, and they prefer to send an email first to inquire about big or small matters, rather than calling or sending text messages. The same is true for British schools, which mainly rely on email rather than mobile phones to communicate with parents, let alone social media groups.

British schools also have "parent groups", but as the name suggests, the group is formed voluntarily by parents, and its members are limited to parents. It is basically used for invitations to children's birthday parties, chats between parents, etc.

In the UK, email plays a very important role as a bridge between home and school. If parents have any questions about the school, they can email the school office or the principal during working hours, and usually receive a timely email or phone response within the same day. The emails sent by the school to parents are sometimes printed out for the children to take home, which is an important way for parents to keep track of their students' daily status at school.

However, the number of emails the school sends to parents will vary depending on the principal’s management style. The reporter's children from "Global" magazine went to two public primary schools in the UK, and they have obvious feelings about this.

Although there are many emails from schools, the focus of the emails is by no means the children’s academic performance and academic performance, let alone assigning homework to students or asking parents to correct homework.

Maintain a reasonable distance

British parents can also communicate with schools through the "Teachers-Parents Association".

This is an organization that serves school teachers and students, such as helping the school raise funds, assisting the school in organizing weekend charity sales, rehearsing small theater performances, enriching students' after-school arrangements, etc.

After students enter the school, parents automatically become members of this organization. Parents who are willing can be elected as representatives every school year to serve the grade or class they represent.

Since the work of the "Teachers-Parents Association" is purely service-oriented and takes up a lot of time, only parents who really have time and are passionate about public welfare affairs will consider serving as representatives.

While maintaining communication with parents, British schools usually pay attention to maintaining a reasonable distance from parents to avoid increasing the communication burden on teachers and parents.