Two Million Minutes - Comparing Education in the U.S., China & India

Sat March 1st, 2008 • Responses (1) •

Two Million Minutes is a documentary film which compares how American students measure up to those in India and China.

The film is conceived by Robert A. Compton, who also was the executive director. As explained by Education World, the title means:

High school often is measured by years or events, but across many nations, there is a common factor: Every student has 2 million minutes from the time he or she leaves eighth grade until high school graduation.

The film follows six students through their senior year of high school in the United States, India, and China, and trying to show that “the simple fact is, global education standards have passed America by“, as said by Compton in a press release. In an interview, Compton noted that “Our knowledge of these two cultures is seriously out of date and that has to change…fast,” and he also said, “Our economic future depends on it.” Compton also writes a blog entitled What Should America Do?, which is “a continuation of the Two Million Minutes documentary film”, as explained by the author. “This blog offers deeper insights into education in China, India and the United States, and the challenge America faces”.

Not having much knowledge about education in India, what we can see from China is that education in the country is in fact desperately looking for remedies for its often labeled as examination-driven education. Just as an American scholar once pointed out in 2005 in a seminar on international education in Beijing , “while China is trying to move its education towards more quality and innovation oriented approaches, the U.S. is trying to upgrade the quality of its education by strengthening disciplines within schools and classes, and it appears that both are looking at each other”.

So, it is perhaps right to say that education is in many aspects about intercultural learning, which is in every way more important than economic competition.

Picture and film trailer credit: Two Million Minutes

•China & World, Education, Intercultural Issues•

圣诞的传说

Fri December 28th, 2007 • Responses (0) •

Christmas in Beijing

圣诞刚过，新年来临。环顾四周，张灯结彩，满眼红帽白须，圣诞似渐为中国文化所接受与融合。不同的是多数情况下并非表现为宗教形式，而是渐成为一个的世俗节日，成为商家的炒作题目和年轻人追逐时尚的表现。

当然，这个百分之百的西方节日，又是西方的代表性文化现象，如今在街头大摇大摆，的确会让一些人感到一种文化上的冲击，也不乏从学术上借题发挥者。或许也正因为如此，更引起外部世界以用一种难以描述的莫名方式观察这里的文化现象。圣诞当日在欧索米罗咖啡与友共聚，店里颇具创意在餐碟衬纸上印上了关于圣诞的一些传说，节录于此备查。

圣诞的起源：圣诞节（12月25日，英文CHRISTMAS)是基督教的重要节日，纪念耶稣基督诞生，同时也是普遍庆祝的世俗节日。时值冬至时分和太阳节这两个非基督教节日，因此庆祝习俗来源不一。12月25日是古伊朗人所崇拜的正义之神密特拉的生日。古罗马人在元旦用青枝绿叶和灯火装饰房屋，并向儿童和穷人赠送礼物。于是有了团聚欢宴、燃烧柴火，熏烤火鸡，张挂树枝，探亲访友，来往馈赠等活动。火与灯光象征温暖与长寿，一向是冬季节日庆祝活动的内容，基督教与非基督教的习俗都是如此。

圣诞老人的传说：据说他原是小亚细亚每拉城的主教，名叫圣尼古拉，升天后被尊为圣徒，是一位身穿红袍、头戴红帽的白胡子老头。每年圣诞节他驾着鹿拉的雪橇从北面来，由烟囱进入各家，将圣诞礼物装在袜子里挂在孩子们床头或火炉前。如今，圣诞老人已成为吉祥的象征。

圣诞帽的传说：圣诞的红帽子，据说除了晚上带着睡觉可以睡得安稳和温暖外，第二天你还会发现冇资料多了点儿心爱的人送的礼物。

圣诞餐的传说：圣诞节与欧美人来说也是团聚的节日，全家围绕在圣诞树下，共进圣诞大餐。据说，吃火鸡的习俗始于1620年。风行于美国。英国人的圣诞餐则是牛排。意大利人喜欢在平安夜里亲友相约倒餐馆火鸡、牛排加咖啡名酒的大餐。

圣诞袜的传说：最早是一双红色的大袜子，多大都可，因为是用来装礼物的。晚上小朋友会将我在挂在床边，等待第二天收礼物。

圣诞树的传说：据说有一个农民在一个风雪交加的圣诞夜里接待了一个饥寒交迫的小孩，给他吃了丰盛的圣诞餐。这个孩子在告别的时候折了一枝杉树枝插在地上并祝福说“年年如此，礼物满枝，留此美丽杉树，报答你的好意。”小孩走后，树枝变成了一颗树。原来这是一位上帝的使者。

•China & World, Intercultural Issues•

搜狐上的“老外看中国”

Tue October 9th, 2007 • Responses (0) •

中国人越来越注意世界如何看自己。一说又是“面子”的事，其实还是自信了！那个“面子”易让人在发现不足时陷入自卑，转而又会表现为极度的自负，实不可取！能以平常心与人做比较，以期完善自己，说明稳健了许多！时下网络中常见以“外国人看中国”为题的文章，且在搜狐网，新浪网，新华网，人民网等都很常见。此间偶尔看到搜狐网的一个系列，转引至此以共享：