asta Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 If there is a single word that sums up the Singaporean existential condition, it is kiasu, a term that means "afraid to lose." In a society that begins tracking its students into test-based groups at age ten ("special" and "express" are the top tiers; "normal" is the path for those headed for factory and service-sector work), kiasu seeps in early, eventually germinating in brilliant engineering students and phallic high-rises with a Bulgari store on the ground floor. Singaporeans are big on being number one in everything, but in a kiasu world, winning is never completely sweet, carrying with it the dread of ceasing to win. When the Singapore port, the busiest container hub in the world, slipped behind Shanghai in 2005 in total cargo tonnage handled, it was a national calamity. [...] The Singapore government is not unaware of the pitfalls of its highly controlled society. One concern is the "creativity crisis," the fear that an emphasis on rote learning in Singapore's schools is not conducive to producing game-changing ideas. Yet attempts to encourage originality have been tone-deaf. When Scape, a youth outreach group, opened a "graffiti wall," youngsters were instructed to submit graffiti designs for consideration; those chosen would be painted on a designated wall at an assigned time. Full Article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thanks for posting this. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Good thing I'm not looking for creativity when doing maths with the dc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Very interesting. However, I do feel that their math programs (at least the curriculum materials published, but not necessarily how they are implemented) do encourage creative thinking with math because they do not rely on rote learning but on deep conceptual understanding. The first paragraph had a very "Brave New World" icky vibe to it (tracking students.) Yet, that type of tracking occurs in many places around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Japan has the same drive to excellence but the same search for creativity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KellyRay Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 It's hard to argue with their results... Though you can never know whether they are really good at math or good at passing the standard math exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 It's hard to argue with their results...Though you can never know whether they are really good at math or good at passing the standard math exam. They're good at math. That's why they can use it in math related fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 There is a lot of criticism of the Japanese school system as well, and Japanese elementary schools are actually very creative and often chaotic. Anyway thanks for the article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thanks for the post! I'm loving the math, though I don't know if I'd trade our freedom for their safety. Hmmm... what is freedom?? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 Thanks for the post! I'm loving the math, though I don't know if I'd trade our freedom for their safety. Hmmm... what is freedom??:-) You know, I was pondering that very question when I read the article. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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