A Comparison of Schools in the U.S. and Japan Essay

Many native parents are reluctant for their children to be taught by non native teachers. The experiences through boarding schools has caused generation to have negative thought of formal education has influence current attitudes to today’s education system and teachers. Non native teachers are also at fault for the reluctance of education. Teacher’s who do not try to learn the culture of their native students never learn of many customs that do not appear in European culture. Eye culture and participation in class are expected in schools by teachers. When teachers do not receive the jesters they believe the student is being disrespectful or

According to Kyoko Mori, what are the major differences between the Japanese and American educational systems? Summarize them.

Another country that is very different from the United States is Japan. Japan is known to be more advanced than America education wise. Many Japanese students are more advanced intellectually than Americans. Even though they are more advanced they still have cultural dilemmas. Classroom size is much different in America than it is in Japan. They are highly populated in Japan so they have much larger students in a classroom. It may take Japanese students a while to get used to the classroom size. “Students follow the school rules and the directions of teachers. In American schools,

In other countries, students must pass an exam to just receive a high school education. Here in America, many college students cannot even do the simplest of algebra problems. In contrast, students just entering high school in these other countries have already learned more than American high school seniors. Furthermore, most people in foreign countries have learned to speak English as a second language. In his article, Moore points out that “70 percent of those who graduate from America’s colleges are not required to learn a foreign language” (157). This information proves that the curriculums of all American schools, including colleges, are not as demanding as the curriculums in schools of other countries. In addition to a poor curriculum, many facilities are in horrible conditions and lack the proper resources that students need to learn. Moore suggests to “walk into any public school, and the odds are good that you’ll find overflowing classrooms, leaking ceilings, and demoralized teachers” (156). A school’s environment is what sets the mood for learning, so if the environment is bad, it can only be expected for the students to not be as cooperative as they would be if they were in a proper environment. This means that schools must provide resources that contain correct and up-to-date information. All schools need to have a good library, computer lab, and recent textbooks.

With the development of the modern state, education has been a decisive factor in affecting the international status and impacts of a country. People pay more attention to education quality and provide advanced study facilities so that their country can have a faster development. With many conflicting different education forms, it is necessary to compare and contrast them for getting a better understanding of the education system in the world. The education here refers to teaching quality, different education level system, the policy and the well-being from the government about education. I will explain the similarities and differences about the education in Finnish and Japan.

Cultural differences pose several barriers for students and may impair their opportunity to learn. These barriers are created by differences in language expression, communication style, preferred learning style, gender-role customs and behaviors, and limited parental involvement due to these cultural or socioeconomic barriers

One reason that Japanese students are better educated than Americans is that the Japanese students are more intelligent than American students. Strong evidence that proves this is true is that Japanese students take “cram schools” to help get better, higher scores for entrance exams that they take. In 1996, it was not uncommon for a Japanese student to commit to studying and doing homework about two hours every weekday.

Finally, in China and Saudi Arabia, the teacher often speaks the entire class period and interaction is at a minimum. In the US, we encourage students to direct their own learning. Teachers often include group activities or projects and encourage partner shares during class time. Students are required to come up with their own ideas and share them to peers or to the class.

Education is the foundation of a strong and productive individual as well as being the foundation for a strong and productive country. Any country that keeps its' people uneducated or does not help to educate them cannot hold them entirely responsible for their actions that result from their lack of education. The United States and Japan both feel very strongly about education and that they need to have well educated people. Both of these countries have educational systems that are similar in some ways and yet very different in other ways. Both the similarities and the differences of these two systems give light to how each of these countries go about educating its' people and how much each of these countries

The warm sunshine that was streaming through the classroom window was doing nothing to help my concentration as I sat in class trying to pay attention. The teacher’s monotone voice droning on about some dead men who fought in a battle hundreds of years ago was slowly putting me to sleep.

Final thoughts: Students behavior can be influenced by many things such as their cultural influences, living situation, and what they are exposed to. Ms. Rollison needs to be aware of the cultural influence that affects the student’s behavior. Every culture is different and it influences how a student will interact and respond to authority. Culture can influence the way they talk with their peers, views on sharing, and the way they act all around. Having many students with different culture background leads to a diverse class with different views on how they act toward their peers.

With the focus on academics, “More than 90% of all students also graduate from high school and 40% form university or junior college” (“Education In Japan”). The success rate is influenced also by the teachers. The student have one teacher and some might argue that the teacher doesn’t master everything she teaches because “70% of teachers teach all subjects as specialist” (“Education In Japan”), she create student teacher relationship with is the key to the success of many students. The student behave differently because of the cultural influence.

     In contrast, the North American education system stresses the ideals of individualism. The aim of the North American system is to socialize the children to become independent individuals, who have relationships with whom they choose (Cole & Cole, 2001, p.541). This ideal of individualism influences the way educators approach learning. Children are encouraged to strive and pursue individual potential and needs (Hoffman, 2000, p.302). Children spend a lot of time pursuing individual activities alone during class time. The classroom is teacher centered in terms of its direction and authority. Whereas the Japanese teacher relies on the social structure and peers, North American teachers have authority to direct the class (Hoffman, 2000, p.304). This adult control is an external standard placed on the child (Hoffman, 2000, p.306). The Japanese teacher relies on the inner standards within the child and their fellow classmates to control the child (Hoffman, 2000, p.307). In situations, such as a child acting out in class, North American teachers assert authority where as Japanese teacher's look to group pressure to conform and control the child.

     For years, people have always felt that the Japanese school system was superior or more effective than that of the United States. Although some feel this way, others feel that the Japanese system is too strict and not flexible enough for those who may need extra help along the way. Through researching two different case studies, and also reading other materials, I have found many similarities along with many differences between the two, including teaching methods, overall emphases, and student involvement. Both countries have developed very effective and intricate systems of teaching, which compliment, and clash against one another. The Japanese system is not in all ways

The culture of a place is an integral part of its society whether that place is a remote Indian village in Brazil or a highly industrialized city in Western Europe. The culture of Japan fascinates people in the United States because, at first glance, it seems so different. Everything that characterizes the United States--newness, racial heterogeneity, vast territory, informality, and an ethic of individualism-- is absent in Japan. There, one finds an ancient and homogeneous society, an ethic that emphasizes the importance of groups, and a tradition of formal behavior governing every aspect of daily living, from drinking tea to saying hello. On the surface at least, U.S. and Japanese