peijin

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 21:20:36 +0800

well, it is a lot of memorization but on the other hand, most standardized tests are--there are virtually no areas of human creativity tested in any standardized test that i've ever taken. Obviously certain subjects need more memorization than others--you need to memorize English vocab, trigonometric identities, etc. In fact that is really part of the problem--they test so many things that it really strains people. In america, the SAT was just two sections, it required little substantive knowledge, and while certain amounts of cultural knowledge were perhaps implicit in the verbal sections, it really boiled down to your comprehension, and not really your literateness or ability to harness the power of language, i.e., write. i think the educational system is less monolithic and absurd than it used to be; mor people are doing vocational training, for example. But still it's a pressure cooker. don't know what else to say about it.

g

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:25:51 +0800

sheesh, for all the time it takes to come up with these crazy ideas you'd think they'd just as well study for the damn test. afterall, it's all rote memorization here anyway, right? :p

Shanghaiist: Armed to the teeth -- Chinese cheaters go high-tech

peijin

g