This unit represents one aspect of a study of contemporary events in China, that is, the events since 1949. I have chosen China’s urban secondary schools as a focus through which my students, by learning about their Chinese contemporaries, may understand more about how educational systems reflect the political, economic and social values of a culture.
The unit is a sequel to one written in 1982, “Contemporary Education in China,” which describes the organization and structure of schools and compares education before and after the Communist revolution of 1949. This years unit is divided into two sections. The first part is strictly a resource paper for teachers, explaining the basis for and characteristics of the three educational models developed in China since the late 1950’s. The second part includes activities, sample lessons, possible resources and annotated bibliographies for teachers and students. A set of slides on education in China accompanied by a written text for those slides is available in the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute Office. Whether a teacher uses these materials for a course on China, a contemporary issues class, a world culture class, an English class on comparisons, etc..., they contain many messages about the quarter of the world’s population.
(Recommended for 11th and 12th grade Contemporary Issues China, 10th and 11th grade U.S. Foreign Policy, and 7th through 9th grade World Area Cultures)
Key Words
China Contemporary Education Chinese
