Learning from China

Abstract

In the Fall of 1996, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to spend three months in Beijing as part of an exchange between Peking University and the University of Illinois. The focus of our visit was education in China. We hoped to be able to take a broad look at schooling in China, from the primary grades through the university years, and to share with Chinese colleagues some current trends in schooling in the United States. / When we speak of the integrated curriculum in the US, we often mean such things as using writing in mathematics, or teaching reading skills within history classes. These connections were evident in some of the schools we saw, but there were connections beyond the academic realm as well. Five areas seemed most prominent.