China's education system can be divided into Primary School education (grade one to grade six), Secondary School education (grade seven to grade twelve) and Postsecondary School education (colleges and universities). Secondary School secondary education is divided into Middle High School (Grade 6 to Grade 8), Junior High School (Grade 7 to Grade 9) and Senior High School (Grade 9 to Grade 12, or Grade 1 to Grade 12).

core courses:

the courses arranged by each middle school are different. But generally, the core courses from grade 9 to grade 12 are as follows:

four years of English (writing/composition, English literature, American literature, etc.)

three years of history (world history, American history, European history)

three years of second foreign language

three years of mathematics (geometry, algebra I, algebra II)

Music/art varies from school to school. The school year ends in mid-May or the end of June. Some private middle schools adopt semester system: September to December in autumn, January to June in spring, and three to four weeks' holidays in December and January. Some middle schools adopt a trimester system: August to September in autumn, November to March in winter and April to June in spring. There is a one-week holiday during each semester, but the holidays in December and January are shorter, only one to two weeks.

exams, grades, reports:

the exams held by each middle school are different, and there will be different square tests due to different courses. Generally speaking, however, unlike Asian and European schools, American middle school teachers don't base their grades on only one exam or test. Teachers usually base their grades on students' reports, homework, classroom performance, quizzes and mid-term and final exams throughout the semester. In the United States, students' compulsory education is until they are 16 years old. Usually, students have to pass all the required courses before they can graduate. Students will know the results of each class after the end of each semester. The teacher's methods for evaluating students' grades are as follows:

A = Excellent

B = Above Average

C = Average

D = Below Average

F = Failure (when). )

After graduating from high school, apply for studying in American colleges and universities:

Although the entrance requirements of each college and university are different, the general colleges and universities will look at the courses taken by students in middle school, their GPA scores, SAT scores, writing, or arrange interviews with students. The High school grade point average GPA of students represents the average performance of students' total academic year scores. Generally, the scoring system adopted in the United States is as follows:

A = 4: 9-1

B = 3: 8-89

C = 2: 7-79

D = 1: 6-69

F = : -59

The unified examination in the United States is the SAT for college entrance examination. In 197, more than half of American middle school students went on to study in universities after graduation. Today, about three-quarters of American high school graduates choose to continue their studies. For detailed application methods, please refer to the special report on "Application Preparation Documents" of the Education Expo.

A glimpse of middle school teaching in the United States

-------------------------. The questions are mainly focused on the research process rather than the teaching. The first skill of asking questions is not "why", but "what". The question of "why" easily leads to students' negative and contradictory coping; The question of "what" will encourage students to observe carefully without making a ruling and be willing to discuss openly. Such as "What do you see?" "What do you hear?" "Do you often do this?" Wait a minute. This can not only help students improve their cognitive skills, but also help them analyze and deal with various behavior patterns properly and healthily. The second questioning skill is to focus on the similarities and differences of students' answers in class. For example, "Does anyone else (not) think so?" Such problems, so that students can understand themselves and others, share other people's feelings and ideas, create a psychological sense of security, admit their differences, and enhance their self-esteem and self-confidence.

2. dialogue. In the eyes of Americans, communication is a goal. Students often have a positive discussion on a constructive problem in the group. Conversations often revolve around things that appear in children's lives, such as birthdays, arguments with friends or other news that arouse their concern. The discussion does not need to be urged by adults, and the teacher only serves as an assistant to inspire ideas. In the whole activity, students learn to really listen to others' speeches, and they will think about how to respond to others in a beneficial way or ask a question that can deepen the discussion, instead of just thinking about how they should speak in their turn.

3. role play. Role-playing provides an opportunity for students to become someone. This method allows participants to see the problem from the perspective of others, think about other ways to deal with the problem, and find the results. Students perform themselves first, and then watch how other students play themselves, so as to gain an understanding of themselves.

4. Social practice. Practice includes observing phenomena, collecting data, reporting results and drawing conclusions. For example, divide the students into groups, and each group will issue a set of cards. The requirement is to "build a three-story house with these cards and pay attention to the internal relationship".

5. simulation. Simulation is a form of entertainment, which enables students to experience a certain problem and discuss it. When students come to school, the teacher may say, "Today, students with brown eyes need special care. They are at the front of the queue and choose sports equipment first." Students with blue eyes should be the last choice, and they can only get extra meals if there are enough extra meals at school, and they should clean the room during the break. " Then, during the whole day, teachers and classmates are doing this kind of simulation activity. Naturally, this immediately aroused the students' strong feelings, and they were eager to discuss their thoughts and feelings, thus launching the topic of justice, prejudice and discrimination. The teacher asked, "When did you have this experience in your life? What would you do if you had to live like this every day? Where else does this happen? What can we do about prejudice and discrimination? "

6. consciously fantasize. Fantasy is a process of creating existing or non-existing images with the brain. Fantasy is to let students have a clearer understanding and view of their temperament, ability and potential.

7. artistic expression. Art is another way of communication. Students can express their feelings and ideas through origami, painting, statues and music.

Second, assign homework

It is said that American students have little homework, and that American education focuses on cultivating students' creativity. Let's see what kind of homework American teachers assign to students, and then see how students complete them.

(1) History homework

1. Requirements for "civil rights": print it out in 3 to 5 pages, with double blank lines, at least 3 sources (such as online, books, etc.) and at least 5 quotations. Compare the views of the following four people on Black-Ameri-CA: Booker T. Washiton (Booker Washington), W．E．B．DUBOIS (Dubois), MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr (Martin Luther King) and MALCOLM X (Malcolm X). In your thesis, you should control the stories about their lives. I don't want to read biographies. But you need to introduce everyone a little, and you must also add appropriate materials to your article. Then, discuss their views on black America, and put your thoughts in it. Also list the sources of your quotations or materials, such as so-and-so web pages and so-and-so books.

2. About the Civil War

(1) Do you agree with President Lincoln's statement that the United States cannot survive unless it is completely liberated or fully served? Explain.

(2) Explain why white people in the north oppose slavery and white people in the south support slavery, but they all feel that they are fighting for freedom?

(3) What does freedom mean to blacks?

(4) President Lincoln and General Grant said that the South should not be treated rudely after the Civil War. Why is this a smart policy? Explain.

(5) During the civil war, women began to take up many jobs that men used to do. How can you summarize the social, economic and political conflicts caused by the civil war?

(6) Construct an argument and use historical evidence to support or oppose the following view: American Civil War is the inevitable result of regional differences

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Gains and losses and enlightenment of contemporary American high school education

Huang Changhong

Summary: Contemporary American high school education is characterized by constant adaptation to social exhibitions, the combination of core courses and diversified courses, the emphasis on students' personality and multi-faceted development, and the emphasis on diagnostic evaluation. The main problem is that students' academic level is still not ideal, and the gains and losses of American high school education have enlightenment and reference significance for the development of high school education in China.

Keywords: American high school education; Gain and loss; Enlightenment

High school education has always been highly valued in the United States, and it is often the focus of the whole society. After World War II, American high school education has been reformed again and again because of the change of social background, in order to adapt to the changing world, which also makes American high school education present many distinctive characteristics in the aspects of school and social relations, curriculum, student development and academic evaluation. These characteristics form the advantages and disadvantages of American high school education, which are different from other countries, and also provide us with lessons and experiences to some extent.

1. Characteristics of American senior high school education

(1) Constantly adapting to social development

Facing reality and constantly meeting the needs of developing society, economy and culture is a major feature of American education. Whether it is the implementation of the National Defense Education Act in 195s or the publication of the document "The Country is in Crisis: Education Reform is Imperative" by the American High Quality Committee in 198s, it is a review of the quality of primary and secondary education on the surface, but in fact it is a reflection of the relationship between education and social development in the United States, which requires education to constantly adapt to social changes.

in p>1987, Ernest Boyer, a famous American education expert, put forward four basic goals of modern American high school education: (1) to help all students develop critical thinking and communicate effectively with language. (2) Help all students understand the interdependence among themselves, human heritage and the world in which they live. (3) Help all students prepare for lifelong education and employment. (4) Help all students to fulfill their social responsibilities and civic obligations. The emphasis on communicative competence, the promotion of people's ability to get along with society and social responsibilities, and the concern for lifelong education reflect the adjustment of education in the face of social changes.

In p>1988, Bennett, then Minister of Education, wrote in his Report on American Education Reform to President Reagan: No matter what jobs our middle school graduates will take in the future, we want them to be people with both knowledge and skills, as well as moral values and civilized qualities. The infiltration of the concept of comprehensive talents can still show the influence of society on education.

after 1997, the United States put the adaptation of education to social changes under the concept of inclusive education and lifelong education, and put it on personal happiness and the consistency of society and times. For example, in 1997, the United States Federal Department of Education clearly pointed out in the "Education Development Strategy for 1998-22" that the goal of middle school education is to "make all students meet certain challenging academic standards and prepare them for becoming responsible citizens, continuing their studies and obtaining productive employment in the future." On January 23, 21, US President Bush published the report No Child Left Behind, demanding that no child should be left behind in every stage of education. Therefore, in October 21, in the year of senior high school students in the United States, the Wood Wilson National Friendship Foundation put forward a resounding slogan: "Keep our eyes open and never let a senior high school student fall behind", and published the title "Year of senior high school students-the mission of the country", saying: "Post-secondary education is a dream for most Americans in the era of agricultural civilization; In the era of industrial civilization, it was only the natural privilege of a few people. In the space age, it was normal for many people. Today, it is common sense for anyone. " The report holds that the goals of high school education are: 1. To cultivate students' studious quality, the habit of critical thinking and the feeling of being tireless in problem solving, so as to make full preparations for post-secondary education in terms of knowledge, ability and emotion. 2. It is necessary to cultivate people whose potentials in all aspects have been fully tapped and developed in an all-round way. 3. Cultivate students' ability to apply knowledge in real life, and guide them to closely link today's study with tomorrow's work, so as to prepare for independent life in the future. 4. Let all students have historical knowledge (including American and the whole world) and rich literary and artistic appreciation ability, and become a modern civilized person with a tasteful life. The report points out that American senior high schools are facing three major tasks, namely, improving school alliances, improving academic achievements and providing diverse choices.

(II) Combination of core curriculum and diversified curriculum

Curriculum is an important means to achieve educational goals, and it can also fully reflect educational goals and school-running purposes. The variety of American high school courses is a remarkable feature. A school can offer dozens or even hundreds of courses. This diversified feature is determined by the nature of comprehensive middle schools and their school-running purposes. Comprehensive middle schools in the United States focus on entrance preparation and vocational training.