Education in our beloved countries

Big difference

1. Product vs Process

Students too exam focused and get an exam result instead of the process of learning and thus deep understanding

Students dont actually really KNOW or Understanding anything...they just remember stuff.

2. Culture of reading.....to broaden general knowledge and critical thinking....

it is so lacking that the it puts one set of students wayyyyyyyyy behind others..

I have seen 8 year old in other countries with far better general knowledge than a 20 year here....its scary how much they do NOT know.

The disparity is enormous...woefully sad.

Reading is just an exam chore.....it so sad

You are correct joe90 - but then, they've bought into overconsumption, wasting of time on electronic gadgets, wastage, etc. etc. etc. very quickly. We learned the hard way, why does it seem that everyone has to do that (and it's not just here in the gulf)?

You would think that others would look at where the West/Europe went wrong in the past and try to choose better paths - be it education or sound use of resources, but I guess there's "nowt so queer as folk" - we are all more alike than we would care to admit.

Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

What Qatar's education system needs the most is time. We have to remember that western education systems did not appear out of thin air. They were developed over many years. For example, in the UK the education system as we know it today has been developed over three hundred years.

One advantage that Qatar has is the ability to buy-in expertise. But no amount of expertise can change social attitudes over night.

Schools are more bothered about kids that can pass exams instead of educating them holistically and getting them ready for the real world.

I will hoist that up the flag pole and see who salutes it!!

Also, thank you all,

I've mentioned those three people because I felt they've really gave it a thought, and have put more effort

"The larger grows the island of my knowledge, the

longer stretch the shores of my ignorance."

William Blake

"The larger grows the island of my knowledge, the

longer stretch the shores of my ignorance."

William Blake

As I am in education, I see many different students, Qataris, Pakistanis, Indians - to name the more numerous groups (there are also many Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian as well as other Arab and other cultures)

Rote learning is the "norm" in this part of the world which does not encourage, and in fact, may discourage, curiousity. If you are not brought up to ask questions (and get cogent answers) you stop asking. Sad.

BTW I'm not saying this happens everywhere, but I asked a student (about 18 -20 years old) "what kind of bird is that" and was told " it's a bird miss" Any 5 year old in my home country can distinguish between a pigeon, duck, robin, or crow and usually many more. Children are not "taught" to be curious here IMHO - they may start out asking questions, but they don't get many answers - that's the parents' responsibility from day 1.

Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

"it starts at home"?

So much of what is needed in young people here HAS TO come from the family/home.

Here's my list of places to start:

1. personal responsibility (have them clean their own rooms, help mom make dinner, wash dad's car...)

2. work ethic/working hard (get a summer job or internship, or do some community service)

3. strengthening the will to act morally (point out to them examples of this, and show that it's unacceptable)

4. taking pride in a job well done, not because you get a reward for doing it (quit giving out prizes everytime they do something normal that is expected of them)

5. natural consequences (if they mess up, don't save their butts; let them take their licks -- it's a good experience for them)

6. the difference between donating money or time (so much of charity work here isn't a real sacrifice for anyone because people simply write out a check; they'd learn more if they actually volunteered their time or gave away their old toys to the orphanage or cooked a meal for some poor people)

7. creating a sense of civic duty

8. READING -- this is the ONE thing that will pay off for them a thousand times over...if only parents would model this at home and show them the importance of reading for pleasure, for knowledge, for personal improvement...

Re: school and things that students need to learn better there (some of these can also be reinforced at home too):

1. critical thinking skills

2. thinking outside the box

3. awareness and appreciation of other points of view

4. academic stamina (learning to struggle with things and being okay with that, not giving up when things get difficult or expecting the teacher or someone else to give you the answer or make it easier for you)

5. the importance of practice if you want to get better at something

6. evaluating resources (for bias, assumptions, facts, values, loaded language, statistics, omissions, for confusion between causation and association)

7. striving to constantly improve one's abilities, not being satisfied with "good enough"

8. recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses, and using that knowledge accordingly

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

1.

Having parents more concerned with the type of education their children are receiving.

2.

Having parents support the schools and teachers 100% who provide a good standard of teaching/materials/curriculum

3.

Having parents teach their children discipline and respect for their families, peers, their teachers, their schools and themselves.

4.

Having parents & teachers teach (and show) their children to be curious, ask questions, explore.

5.

Critical thinking and problem solving

Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

Majority of instruction covers the first 3 levels of Bloom's taxonomy:

Knowledge-recall; knowledge of date, events

Comprehension

Application

The latter 3 levels of Bloom's taxonomy defines critical thinking, which is lacking in instruction:

Analysis

Synthesis-use old ideas to create new ideas; recongnize hidden meanings

Evaluation- compare and descriminate between ideas; assess value and theories; make choices based on reasoned argument; verify value of evidence; and recognize subjectivity-

I'm not in Qatar but i do agree that critical think and reasoning about all subjects are the essential to improve any country's level of education.

Ayman

Only God Can Judge Me

الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي

I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer

أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ

I've heard that in Japan they assign the task of preparing primary syllabus to an old experienced PhD, as an honor for him.

"The larger grows the island of my knowledge, the

longer stretch the shores of my ignorance."

William Blake

I think critical thinking is essential, and most certainly missing from the education system here, where the main source of education is memorization.

It's a shame, so much has been invested to bring in excellent universities, but no focus has been put on the primary education levels.

Same question in Arabic, to get Arabic answers:

ينتابنى قلق عميق بخصوص مستوى التعليم المقدم لأبنائنا.

لذا أوجه السؤال التالي:

في اعتقادك، ماذا ينقض المنظومة التعليمية في جميع دولنا العربية و الإسلامية الحبيبة؟

أنا أعتبر "التفكير النقدي" واحدا منها ، ماذا أيضا؟

"The larger grows the island of my knowledge, the

longer stretch the shores of my ignorance."

William Blake

Simple, follow the International standards of education used among DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (USA,UK,CANADA)

.

Otherwise, most of our nationals have to give examinations or to get a new related degree according to their standards which wastes precious time & valuable money of the candidate.

"I would count "critical thinking" as one," not "one?"

"The larger grows the island of my knowledge, the

longer stretch the shores of my ignorance."

William Blake