Chinese School Activities



Figure 1.--Here we see a Chinese school band. The children wear the school uniform with their Young Pioneer scarves.

Chinese school children engage in the same activities as other children around the world. We are not sure if there are any distinctly Chinese activities. We have seen images of children engaged in what lloks like meditation. We do not know how common that is. We do not have very many images from Chinese schools to know very much about the different acruvities and the clothing associated with them. We see very orderly classrooms. Here we see a school band (figure 1). Interestingly we only see Western instruments. We have no idea how many schools had bands like this. We note images of children playing games on school paygrounds. One source mentions that the children seem very disciplined. We are sure to what extent children were allowed free play. We hope to expand this section as we acquire more images from Chinese schools.

Meditation

We are not sure if there are any distinctly Chinese activities. We have seen images of children engaged in what lloks like meditation. We do not know how common that is.

Classrooms

Chinese classrooms tend to be much larger than Western classrooms. Chinese teachers even after all the econoic development inrecent years commonly have 30 to 50 students morebor les than twice the number mof students in the West. This means that the teacher can not provide the same level of individual attention to students. One source indicates that such individual attention is seen as both difficult dificult and inefficient. This of course means that there is less ability or interest in helping less academically capable students. Iy also means that btha the more capable students are kept at the level as the class as awhole. We are not sure to wjat extent there is streaming in Chinese schools. It is also common for teachers to change rooms rather than the students. Teachers are less likely to have their own classrooms. This means that there is less choice in Chinese schools as the children are kept together in units, staying together in classrooms at assigned desks. Even though the classes are large, we see very orderly classrooms.

Marching

We see images of chilfrem marching. They do not seem to be going to or from school, but rather engages in a school activity. We are not sure just where they were going. One photograph shows them in what looks like a park, buut without a teacher.

Music

We are not sure about the Chinese school music program. Wehave noted some choral singing. We also see some instrumental music. Here we see whay looks like a a school band (figure 1). Given the instuments it is not a pep band, niu more like a full band. Interestingly we only see Western instruments. We have no idea how many schools had bands like this. These instruments are expensive. Earlier schools could not have afforded them. Nor would have Western music been well recived by educational authorities.

Games

We note images of children playing games on school paygrounds. We see activities that require cooperative behavior rather than competion. This seems to be the case for both boys and girls. We are not sure to what extent This what the children want to play as what the are told or ibstructed to play. In the West girls are more likely to be in volved in cooperatuve bactivity than the boys. One source mentions that the children seem very disciplined. We are sure to what extent children were allowed free play. We are not suren if this has changed over time.








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Created: 9:39 PM 3/23/2007
Last updated: 7:05 AM 3/12/2019