Saw this on Newsweek:
PLEASE DO NOT FLAME!
What do you think? Talent has no standing here? Too exam-based?
This is about education, not politics.
Mods, feel free to lock or delete if unappropiate.
Hi Redstone,
In all fairness, I don't think there is a better FUNCTIONAL method to evaluate a person's potential in the educational system other than examinations. I'm not suggesting that it's the best way. However, it's the most practical way. Of course, all that changes when pupils grow up and enter the REAL world. In life, there are many more factors that play a part in one's success other than paper qualifications (eg: luck, timing, opportunities, ability to take advantage of presented opportunities, willingness to advance oneself by fair means or otherwise, etc.....).
It's too simplistic to make a statement that Singapore does not do well on the innovation front in spite of having many students that perform well in tests. There are many advantages that the US has. First of all is their budget for reasearch, try comparing that of the US with Singapore's. Serious funding is required to obtain research equipment, pay staff, run experiments. The US has the ability and the political will to give money to research grants as they realize that they have to keep innovating in order to maintain their lead on the international stage.
Then there is the advantage of numbers. Their population is approximately 300 Million people. Compared to Singapore's 3-4 Million. What are the odds that they will have more individuals that will excel in their chosen field. This goes not only for science, but also sports, art, etc...
The US is also an inviting place for immigrants. Many brilliant foreigners make the US their home, bringing their collective talent to bear in any one specific industry. Couple this talent pool with a large supply of research funding, and you get the picture. Look at it this way, America was the 1st to have the A-bomb, but was A. Einstein born an American, or was he an immigrant? His is only one of many examples of this sort of immigrant talent.
Having many different types of research centres also leads to more breakthroughs due to sharing of data and information. For instance, a material developed for use in space missions can be utilized for research in biological experiments, geographical research, etc.... This can easily lead to an explosion of "spin-off" discoveries. The US has the "critical-mass" to achieve this effect, Singapore may never have this advantage.
There may be some truth that Singapore are too comfortable staying in status quo. By "challenging authority" I don't believe the author meant challenging the current political situation (that is another day's discussion). What he/she probably meant was challenging the CURRENTLY ACCEPTED BELIEF. For example, what if everybody in the past happily accepted the notion that the world was flat without seeking proof that is really was?
Personally, I think the problem lies with the fact that Asians are cuturally programmed to defer to people in authority. We are all taught to respect our elders and superiors from a young age. This, unfortunately leads to an abhorrance to "challenging authority". It surprised me intially when my professors treated me as a collegue/friend while I was an undergrad overseas.
In short, exams will always have a part to play in any education system as it offers a standard method to assess students. However, students should be actively encouraged to "think outside the box", and teachers should be trained to handle students' reasonable questions in a constructive manner.
Sadly, I believe that the ability of "thinking outside the box" cannot be taught in schools. Such a trait can only be encouraged, not more. It all depends on a person's innate ability and personality. For example, there are people who are just happy doing their daily 9 - 5 grind, and going back home, not take undue risks and live their lives uneventfully.
My 2 cents.
Bernard
P.S. Curious.....did you get posed this question for a school project?
