Chinese students try to have more say in course planning
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-10-01 20:52

Although courses offered in the curriculum supermarket are extracurricular,teachers felt stress too and took them earnestly, said Su Fang,the headmaster

Yang Yang,a teacher who opened a course on weapons in the supermarket said he made intensive literary review,made slides and adopt flexible teaching method.Students can interrupt his teaching on class with questions and discuss with him,which is yet uncommon in the Chinese culture where teachers enjoy absolute authority in class

The identities of teacher and students are broken.Anyone knows more can be the teacher.Thus, to conduct new course well,one have to keep enriching his knowledge.Otherwise,he might lose face before students, Yang said.

The questions raised mostly by students include:Is the Patriot really able to block other missiles?What is the explosive equivalent of the American Tomahawk cruise missile? Why do ships always sink in the Bermuda Triangle?

The students found the questions on the Internet and brought them to class.

"The biggest benefit I get from the curriculum supermarket is to find my unknowing things.To answer these questions I need knowledge and study," said Yang Guang, a third-year junior high school student said,who registered in the class of Mystery of the World

The selective courses have increased from 20 to 40 in two years.Yang Guang said,students like the curriculum supermarket very much,some popular courses are even hard to sign in.

Besides some appreciation courses on poetry and film,there are many courses offering knowledge normally perceived as irrelevant with school education by Chinese parents ,for example,courses on How to Become Smart,the Mystery of the World,the Cultural Difference on Diet between China and the West.

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