It is particularly fun in physics to have students find out that if they do not understand the concept they had better pray they do not make any errors in the math. I was once stuck teaching (functionally substituting for the actual physics teacher who had to do an AP class during that period) a gifted physics class. The small crew of students who actually wanted to be there sat up front and after I and the physics teacher explained the situation to them thought it would be fun to mess with me in minor ways - up until the day that the brightest of them showed me a problem and asked me if his answer was correct. I looked at the paper and said "Nope!!" his mouth dropped slightly and he said, "Yes it is, you don't even know how to do the calculation!" "Quite correct", I said, "but I do know that if the forces are North and west, the boat is not going to go South and east! I am going to take a wild guess that you entered a negative in there somewhere accidentally!" Things went much smoother after that - but, then, they WERE there to learn.
What exactly IS education?
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angrysoba
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That's exactly what I am saying. Culture may trump pedagogy.
Are you serious, truethat?
I live in Japan and I am a teacher of a Humanities subject. I have met more Asian students of Humanities subjects than you have probably had hot dinners.
I am married to one, for Gawd's sake.
truethat
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You live in Japan. Hello. Stop pretending you want to have a discussion when you just want to rant.
And culture doesn't trump pedagogy if you do it right. Btw if you are one of those people who traveled to teach in Japan, then that's an entirely different way of doing things.
This discussion started off with someone asking for clarification of a specific type of educational theory that they are expected to use. It's not a debate about which type of teaching is better.
So please stop trying to turn it into that because apparently you have an axe to grind.
angrysoba
Philosophile
You live in Japan. Hello. Stop pretending you want to have a discussion when you just want to rant.
And culture doesn't trump pedagogy if you do it right. Btw if you are one of those people who traveled to teach in Japan, then that's an entirely different way of doing things.
This discussion started off with someone asking for clarification of a specific type of educational theory that they are expected to use. It's not a debate about which type of teaching is better.
So please stop trying to turn it into that because apparently you have an axe to grind.
I think you should let the OP speak for him or herself instead of trying to rule my opinions out of court.
truethat
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LOL that must have been fun. It's wonderful when you get engaged enthusiastic learners.
Where too many teachers get confused is they expect the kid to walk in the door eager to learn all about their topic. Then also then pull out the "go to" lesson plans that they have used for years and expect the kids to listen with open ears and excitement.
But if you don't engage schema in the first place, then you have no idea who you are teaching. And if you don't know who you are teaching then you don't know what you are teaching. To me that's the key.
Last year I was asked to speak at a seminar for teachers with 5 other presenters. They asked me to go first and I gave an outline of what I was going to present. The coordinator was really freaked out when she asked me for a copy of my "speech" or presentation. I told her I couldn't possibly have one until I had met the audience and she was floored.
Then we all started and I spent about 10 minutes going around the room finding out about the audience members, why they were there, what they had learned, where they worked, what they taught etc e. Even if they had kids etc. Where they went to college.
I then taught for 45 minutes to a rapt interested audience. When the other speakers got up, two of them basically got up and said "well you know all this" etc etc because they came in with a set presentation and didn't have the ability to change it for the group.
During those two presentations, the cell phones came out, distracted bored audience members were bored after the first ten minutes because it was a set speech with a Power Point presentation that had absolutely nothing to do with them.
The other two speakers had time to adjust their presentation and one actually got up and said "Well I was going to present this but you know it anyway so lets move on to something else."
He was pretty good. At the end of the even the coordinator was told that most people felt the rest of the presentation was a waste of their time. Half of the people had left early anyway so they cut it short.
So key, you don't know what you are teaching until you know who you are teaching.
I'm sharing this example, but I learned the hard way. I too had several bad "lectures" where the audience basically was not interested in what I was teaching. They took notes etc, but it wasn't successful.
I doubt very many Math or Physics teachers here, ask their students why they are taking the class, what they know already, why they are interested and how it can relate to their real life. They just assume that the class will scramble to keep up because they want a good grade or a passing grade.
truethat
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The OP wrote his question. Why don't you go back and read it again.
Btw what do you teach in Japan? And also what Humanities subjects are they majoring in? Just curious.
angrysoba
Philosophile
I teach English, and I use a lot of the metacognitivist ideas, and activating schemata ideas that you are talking about. It works for the kind of subject I am teaching. Similarly, I encourage learner autonomy in extensive reading and encourage use of self-access centres and all the other stuff. And I have read Vygotsky, and Bruner and about Bloom's taxonomy as well.
As for the Humanities subjects that people I have met have been studying. What don't they do? I have met plenty of students who specialize in languages, international studies, literature, "social studies" such as history and geography and I have met philosophy teachers as well and many other subjects.
And I also know, from first-hand experience that in Japan students study all the subjects (except in my class, or in music or in PE) sitting in rows and listening to their teachers, and writing stuff down from the board.
One of the things that I have noticed from doing this is that as crazy as it may sound to you, much of the time there are cultural expectations of what a class should be like. Some of the students even respond better to the kind of learning where they have to write things down from the board or from what their teachers say.
And, thanks for instructing me to read the OP again. I have done that, and I picked up again on the tone of the OP which was, in my opinion, to express skepticism about some of the teaching theories that have been proposed for his/her class. And also, there is a question about whether or not students from Korea, China and India are taught in ways similar to the education theories that are popular in the States and if not what can account for the fact that students studying STEM subjects in university seem to be from those countries.
Perhaps you can answer the bolded questions.
truethat
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I had a feeling you were one of these people who moved to Japan to teach English. I was just checking.
Here's a clue. How many of the students in your classroom are NOT Japanese?
I'll give you a comparison to how many students in my Chinese School SAT prep were NOT Chinese. (One)
Now compare that to general school systems where the diversity is different. If you can't figure out why it is easier to match the cultural expectation of a class when every single person in the class is the same culture, that's a logic and reasoning difficulty on your end.
Example, in Elmhurst High School in Queens NY over 144 different languages are spoken.
It is really really easy to teach a class that is made up of students that all come from the same culture and in general the same socio economic background.
Anyway I'll wait for the OP to reply. You seem to be ranting about an agenda or something.
Here's a clue. How many of the students in your classroom are NOT Japanese?
I'll give you a comparison to how many students in my Chinese School SAT prep were NOT Chinese. (One)
Now compare that to general school systems where the diversity is different. If you can't figure out why it is easier to match the cultural expectation of a class when every single person in the class is the same culture, that's a logic and reasoning difficulty on your end.
Example, in Elmhurst High School in Queens NY over 144 different languages are spoken.
It is really really easy to teach a class that is made up of students that all come from the same culture and in general the same socio economic background.
Anyway I'll wait for the OP to reply. You seem to be ranting about an agenda or something.
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angrysoba
Philosophile
Sorry, but the only ranting I can see appears to be from you.
And your rants don't really make any sense because you are talking at cross-purposes to what I am saying.
So what does that prove, exactly?
Are you assuming that your own experiences are the baseline and everyone else's is abnormal?
P.S And I noticed that you ducked my question, which was to address the points I bolded from the OP.
truethat
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I did answer the points in your bolded. If you can't figure that out that's on you.
I notice you dodged the answer. How many of the students in your class are NOT Japanese?
Doesn't it occur to you that it is much easier to teach with a sense of conformity if every student in your classroom is from the same cultural background and generally the same socioeconomic background?
You said you studied all these guys, you sure as heck don't seem like, otherwise you would realize that you already answered your own question.
And no, it's not freaking genetic. Racist much?
I notice you dodged the answer. How many of the students in your class are NOT Japanese?
Doesn't it occur to you that it is much easier to teach with a sense of conformity if every student in your classroom is from the same cultural background and generally the same socioeconomic background?
You said you studied all these guys, you sure as heck don't seem like, otherwise you would realize that you already answered your own question.
And no, it's not freaking genetic. Racist much?
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angrysoba
Philosophile
Eh? How am I racist? I think you may have some reading comprehension issues there.
And as for how many of my students are not Japanese, the answer is, it depends.
I have taught a lot of classes. In some of them I have all-Japanese classes, in some of them I have students from other places.
And I have also taught in Thailand.
angrysoba
Philosophile
I didn't suggest anything of the sort.
angrysoba
Philosophile
angrysoba
Philosophile
I was hoping that the penny would finally drop, but I guess that's never going to happen, so I'll have to explain to you that the question about genes and intelligence never came from me in the first place, but was a quote from the OP. You remember the OP that you told me I should go back and read?
Of course, you also claim that there is nothing stereotypical (or, gasp, racist!) about the following question:
Yep. No stereotyping there.
truethat
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I'll leave you to your blatherings. Have fun teaching English in Japan. Those programs are so much fun right? You get paid a good salary and get to see the world. Hope you enjoy it there and in Thailand as well. I've heard a lot about those programs and it sounds like you are a perfect match. 
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angrysoba
Philosophile
I'll leave you to your blatherings. Have fun teaching English in Japan. Those programs are so much fun right? You get paid a good salary and get to see the world. Hope you enjoy it there and in Thailand as well. I've heard a lot about those programs and it sounds like you are a perfect match.
Thanks.
(Although I think what you imagine I do is different to what I actually do.)
Therefore, once you teach a student how to learn poetry, he/she becomes a poet without having to memorize a single poem! Once you teach a second student how to learn music, he/she becomes a composer without having to play or memorize a single note! Once you teach a third student how to learn math, he/she becomes a mathematician without having to solve a single problem. ... Or for that matter, why not apply this pedagogy to those things that American parents care about and "educate" their children in: Once you teach a student how to learn basketball, he/she becomes a basketball player without having ever to hold a ball!