Yong ZhaoRecensioni

I'm not a fan of standardized testing and I know that China scores well on tests. I know the United States does not score as high and we have implemented standardized testing in our schools. (I am so glad I'm not in school anymore and so glad I don't have kids in school right now.)

With that limited bit of knowledge, I read this book. The author - Yong Zhao - definitely has an agenda. Throughout this book, over and over again, he reiterates that standardized testing is the result of an authoritarian regime which fosters obedience and rote memorization but stifles creativity and independent thought. He argues against the testing we have in the US as the beginning of a WORSE educational system, fearing that our future generations will lose the passion, drive, creative thinking, and improvisation necessary to succeed in our modern world.

There were definitely some good points brought up here; however, I felt like he was hammering this opinion over and and over and over again relentlessly. It was very much like a thesis - here is my stand and here are the important reasons my stand is correct. He dislikes PISA and the people involved in PISA but as I don't have any children I really don't understand our testing system completely and it was never fully explained.

I'm wiser for having read the book, but I have so many unanswered questions about the Chinese educational system still and our own educational system that it can't be a be-all end-all book for me. (It was a very quick, very easy read that seemed to just touch the surface of the subject.)

This book provides an introduction to personalizable education. This educational approach emphasizes creating opportunities for students to explore, experiment, and develop their strengths and passions. Zhao criticizes the assumptions underlying the traditional deficit-focused education model. He goes on to outline the concepts and theories supporting personalizable learning. He also briefly describes the qualities teachers need to implement this educational model. This is a book to be read by teachers, school leaders, policy makers, and parents. Zhao presents us with a challenge to design education at all levels for the needs and realities of the twenty-first century.

Makes a good case for continuing the movement toward jettisoning standards-based education and high stakes testing. Well referenced and convincingly argued, "World Class Learners" should be given to anyone who thinks the current direction of reformers is the right road to be on to Improve American education. This is not a how-to manual, so don't be expecting one, but it will certainly inspire you to think about ways to be more entrepreneurial in your approach to teaching and learning or just as importantly, more intrepreneurial.

Born in China, Yong Zhao is now a distinguished professor at Michigan state University. He is intimately acquainted with both Chimes and American cultures and as such, provides a contemporary view of what global challenges face the U.S.. He is an admirer of the long tradition in the U.S. of creativity and higher-level thinking that has produced a nation at the top of the world, but in the past ten years, with increasing competition just to pass tests, he warns that the “edge” may be lost. His prescriptions for American education are to help young people understand other cultures, speak other languages, and in particular, understand the new rules of engagement in the global world of technology. It is comforting to read someone with this larger perspective, particularly when listening to the conflicting voices of behavioral teaching vs. constructivist education. The author is squarely in the latter camp and we can all hope that innovations and excellence notions will return to our public education in place of struggling to reach minimums. An interesting and broadening read.