Debating Contests Article

[Andrew Frank]

One of my favorite readings, which we did not discuss on Saturday, was the Economist article, "Debating contests teach Chinese students an argument has two sides." Although I knew a great amount of Chinese students choose to study in America (which was a question raised in Lula Wang's recent film, The Farewell), I had no idea that it is often due to the fact that China has "brutal university-entrance exams." I was also surprised to discover that "Chinese education emphasises one correct answer to a question," unlike what is typical in American education. I am curious to learn more about Chinese education, specifically how I as an American teacher may learn from their country's pedagogical strengths & weaknesses...