For homework, we were told to read an article about an example of education in Japan. The situation was researched by a college graduate named Jim Stigler who went to a fourth grade classroom for research in Japan. The Japanese students were learning how to draw three-dimensional cubes, and it intrigued the students a lot. One of the students was struggling with drawing the cube, and the teacher sent him up to attempt it on the board. He struggled and struggled, as the teacher would tell the students to compare it to theirs, and the student still couldn't get it right. Stigler says that the student looked as if he were to burst into tears. By the end of the period, the boy managed to draw the cube correctly, and the class politely applauded him. This means that the whole period had been spent drawing a cube. Another example was of a math problem. There was a group of Japanese first graders, and one of American first graders. The American students immediately gave up on the problem, knowing they couldn't. The Japanese kids continued to work on it hour after hour, until they were finally stopped. They cried because of the fact that they weren't able to complete the problem. What does this say about education in Japan compared to that in America? It says that people from Japan were taught to take their education more seriously than some Americans. Not to say that all Americans are "dumb", or that all Japanese people are smart.
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