Learning from Shanghai: Lessons on Achieving Educational Success (Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects Book 21)

The Shanghai school system has attracted worldwide attention since its impressive performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009. The system ranks as a ‘stunning success’ according to standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Shanghai also stands out for having the world’s highest percentage of ‘resilient students’ – students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who emerge as top performers. Learning From Shanghai: Lessons on Educational Success offers a close-up view of the people and the policies that have achieved such world-class performance. Based on research and personal observation gathered during the author’s recent field work with school principals, teachers and students, this book explores the factors that explain Shanghai’s exceptional success in education. The approach combines high standards of scholarly research and analysis with the author’s unique personal insights, as evidenced by chapters entitled Education is Filling a Bucket and Lighting a Fire and Tiger Mothers, Dragon Children. Drawing on her experience as an education professional and a teacher of teachers, Charlene Tan thoroughly examines and analyzes the people, the policies and the practices that distinguish Shanghai educators. The contents include comprehensive details on the Shanghai approach to quality education, from discussion of the balance between centralization and decentralization, to school autonomy and accountability, to testing policy and professional development for teachers. The book includes detailed tables on curriculum and school performance targets, sample appraisal forms for teachers and students, and dozens of photographs. The author is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The Shanghai school system has attracted worldwide attention since its impressive performance in the International Programme for Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009. The system ranks as a 'stunning success' according to standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Shanghai also stands out for having the world's highest percentage of 'resilient students' - students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who emerge as top performers. Learning From Shanghai: Lessons on Achieving Educational Success offers a close-up view of the people and the policies that have achieved such world-class performance. Based on research and personal observation gathered during the author's recent two months of field work with school principals, teachers and students, this book explores the factors that explain Shanghai's exceptional success in education. The approach combines high standards of scholarly research and analysis with the author's unique personal insights, as evidenced by chapters entitled Education is Filling a Bucket and Lighting a Fire, and Tiger Mothers, Dragon Children. Drawing on her experience as an education professional, Charlene Tan thoroughly examines and analyzes the people, the policies and the practices that distinguish Shanghai educators. The contents include comprehensive details on the Shanghai approach to quality education, from discussion of the balance between centralization and decentralization, to school autonomy and accountability, to testing policy and professional development for teachers. The book includes detailed tables on curriculum and school performance targets, sample appraisal forms for teachers and students, and dozens of photographs. The author is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore The Shanghai school system has attracted worldwide attention since its impressive performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009. The system ranks as a 'stunning success' according to standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Shanghai also stands out for having the world's highest percentage of 'resilient students' - students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who emerge as top performers. Learning From Shanghai: Lessons on Achieving Educational Success offers a close-up view of the people and the policies that have achieved such world-class performance. Based on research and personal observation gathered during the author's recent field work with school principals, teachers and students, this book explores the factors that explain Shanghai's exceptional success in education. The approach combines high standards of scholarly research and analysis with the author's unique personal insights, as evidenced by chapters entitled Education is Filling a Bucket and Lighting a Fire, and Tiger Mothers, Dragon Children. Drawing on her experience as an education professional, Charlene Tan thoroughly examines and analyzes the people, the policies and the practices that distinguish Shanghai educators. The contents include comprehensive details on the Shanghai approach to quality education, from discussion of the balance between centralization and decentralization, to school autonomy and accountability, to testing policy and professional development for teachers. The book includes detailed tables on curriculum and school performance targets, sample appraisal forms for teachers and students, and dozens of photographs. The author is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Front Matter....Pages i-xxv The Beginning: Shanghai, PISA and Globalisation....Pages 1-18 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 A Conversation with a Shanghai Principal....Pages 21-31 The Chinese Teacher as a Chess Master....Pages 33-41 ‘Education Is Filling a Bucket and Lighting a Fire’: The Shanghai Teacher....Pages 43-51 Tiger Mothers, Dragon Children....Pages 53-65 Front Matter....Pages 67-67 ‘Chinese-Style’ Education for All....Pages 69-78 ‘To Develop Every Student’: Towards Quality-Oriented Education....Pages 79-87 Balancing Decentralisation with Centralisation....Pages 89-98 Autonomy and Accountability: The School Appraisal System....Pages 99-107 Testing Times: Exams as Means of Central Control....Pages 109-117 Examining the Exam Papers....Pages 119-131 Taking Teacher Professional Development Seriously....Pages 133-142 Front Matter....Pages 143-143 Towards Innovation and Application: Curriculum Changes in Shanghai Schools....Pages 145-152 From Teacher Talk to Student Talk: Dialogue-Style Teaching....Pages 153-159 The ‘Post-Tea House Teaching’ Approach....Pages 161-169 Critical Thinking: The Chinese Way....Pages 171-184 Kung Fu Panda : Teacher Mentoring and Collaboration....Pages 185-198 Developing (f)or Appraising: School-Based Teacher Training....Pages 199-212 The End: Learning ABC from Shanghai....Pages 213-224 Back Matter....Pages 225-245