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教育における自信と過信
日本では、米国の学校制度は個性や創造性を伸ばす上で優れているという話をよく聞く。
しかし、「自分に自信があれば成績も上がり、行動にも反映するはず」という考えでやたらに子供の自信を育もうとする米国方式は、大きな弊害を生んでいる。
Self-confidence vs. overconfidence
In the United States, it is widely believed that self-confidence is the key to better learning and academic achievement. People believe that a child's psychological well-being and intellectual development depends entirely on the belief that he/she is "special," unique and deserving of every reward that life has to offer, even if such rewards are unjustified or unearned. If a child is not doing well at school, or exhibiting anti-social behavior, parents are told it's because their child lacks self-esteem. Recent studies, though, suggest that this emphasis on self-confidence denies children the tools they need to achieve success in adulthood both personally and professionally.
In a 1992 study, psychologists Harold Stevenson and James Stigler compared the academic skills of elementary school students in China, Taiwan, Japan and the United States. Asian students, the study revealed, outperformed American students. But when the U.S. students evaluated their performance, they rated themselves much higher than the Asian students. The Asian students saw only room for self-improvement, while the U.S. students were blind to the possibility that their performance was anything less than stellar.
Countries where "self" is defined in relation to others and seldom expressed through displays of individualism or excessive self-regard are often criticized for fostering conformity and inhibiting creativity. Asian students' achievements are often dismissed as the by-product of pushy, ambitious parents and outdated cultural practices. They are often stereotyped as dull and unimaginative; obedient drones who dutifully memorize and recite facts, who don't have critical thinking skills.
I have heard people in Japan express envy for what they believe is America's superior school system, where individualism and creativity are fostered
Japan's public education system is woefully built on the idea that education should serve corporate interests, providing companies with obedient workers. But those who insist that America's public schools are better should consider the following:
Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. government has made federal funding for public schools incumbent on students' test scores. Fearing a further loss of much-needed funds, teachers are forced to "teach to the test," allowing little or no time to foster thinking skills. Part of this process has been the introduction of "self-esteem" into the curriculum. Students (and their parents) will be discouraged from demanding better education if they can be convinced that poor performance can be attributed to a lack of self-confidence
America will suffer in the long run. As incompetent blowhards continue to climb up the ladder, making disastrous decisions and replacing leaders with delusional thinkers, many Asian economies will overtake the U.S. economy — deservedly so.
- self-confidence
- 自信
- learning
- 学習
- academic achievement
- 成績
- psychological well-being
- 精神的に健康な状態
- intellectual development
- 知力の発達
- unique
- ほかに類のない
- reward
- 報酬
- unjustified
- 不当な
- unearned
- 労せずして得た
- (is)exhibiting 〜
- 〜を示している
- self-esteem
- 自尊心
- psychologists
- 心理学者
- academic skills
- 学力
- revealed
- 明らかにした
- outperformed 〜
- 〜より優れていた
- evaluated
- 評価した
- performance
- 成績
- room
- 余地
- self-improvement
- 自己改善
- blind to 〜
- 〜が見えない
- anything less than stellar
- 優れていない
- displays
- 示すこと
- self-regard
- 自愛
- fostering 〜
- 〜を育てること
- conformity
- 画一性
- inhibiting 〜
- 〜を抑制すること
- (are)dismissed
- 片付けられる
- by-product
- 副産物
- pushy
- 押し付けがましい
- outdated
- 時代遅れの
- obedient
- 従順な
- drones
- 単調な仕事を続ける人
- dutifully
- 律儀に
- recite
- 暗唱する
- woefully
- 嘆かわしいことに
- corporate interests
- 企業の利益
- federal funding
- 連邦政府の補助金
- incumbent on 〜
- 金額が〜にかかっている
- teach to the test
- テストのために教える
- (be)attributed to 〜
- 〜に帰する
- in the long run
- 結局は
- incompetent
- 能力のない
- blowhards
- 自慢屋
- ladder
- 地位
- delusional
- 誤った信念を抱いた
- deservedly
- 当然