[shadyunltd]

Hi! I'm new here and maybe it isn't the best section to post this but..

Is it true that the Canadian (especially the Quebec one because I live in Quebec) system of education is tougher than its American counterpart?

Some of my friends left Quebec City for Pennsylvania years ago (they were in high school, freshman year, 15 yrs old) and they had 70% here of average (at a good private school in QC) and they got between 90 and 95% in their private school in PA.

They didn't change their way of studying at all so it made me think a little bit...

Thank you

 

[j4893k]

Yes, very true.

After going from a Seattle public school to a Seattle private school to a Van public school, I'd say BC's (probably even Canada's) public schools are more inline with Washington's (probably US') private schools.

 

[jeicow]

It all really depends on what province and what state. Most American states mark based on knowledge (ie. When did the war start?, What were the events leading up to the war?) while most Canadian (Ontario for sure) has gone the liberal way of evaluating based on "thought" instead of knowledge. When i took CHC2DO (gr. 10 history- academic) we were asked how the war made the people feel and if we felt WWII was justified. The reasoning behind this is that they want to have students who can think. It might make thinkers, but hell if anyone actually knows anything. I personally prefer the American way because it makes more sense and gets to the point. You also have to remember that while American students may seem to get higher marks, almost every college still requires SATs which I think in general are harder than the Ontario system of educaiton.

Sorry that this is all over the place- I should really be asleep.

 

[big W]

Depends on the province. From my understanding Alberta and Quebec tend to score higher than other provinces in Canada and significantly higher then the US. Which also varies by State.

 

[vid]

I've taken the applied/college level education route through high school (because I'm stupid) and it's more based on knowing facts than thinking, but thinking and applying thought is still a large part of it. We're writing essays in a workplace/apprenticeship math course.

It isn't 'When did the war start' more 'When did the war start and why? What effect did the war have on our society? Do you think this is positive or negative? Have a 24 page essay by the end of the period.'

 

[mucciared]

In terms of what has been stated (American vs. Canadian) I disagree with you and I actually prefer the Canadian way. It takes things a step further. Yes there was World War, so what?? That doesn't tell us very much. Discussing reasons, consequences, and such will help society learn from their mistakes (I'm not saying there won't be another war or anything, just an example).

Another example is accounting. Yes there is a lot of numbers and it's good to know how to calculate ratios and such, but you need to be able to discuss what these ratios mean for your business, economy, etc.

 

[The Mad Hatter!!]

It all really depends on what province and what state. Most American states mark based on knowledge (ie. When did the war start?, What were the events leading up to the war?) while most Canadian (Ontario for sure) has gone the liberal way of evaluating based on "thought" instead of knowledge. When i took CHC2DO (gr. 10 history- academic) we were asked how the war made the people feel and if we felt WWII was justified. The reasoning behind this is that they want to have students who can think. It might make thinkers, but hell if anyone actually knows anything. I personally prefer the American way because it makes more sense and gets to the point. You also have to remember that while American students may seem to get higher marks, almost every college still requires SATs which I think in general are harder than the Ontario system of educaiton.

Sorry that this is all over the place- I should really be asleep.

yea im currently taking a theory of knowledge class here in miami, and i hate it why? cuz im so used to providing facts and getting to the point by just giving the answer. In this class you have to justify and basically forumlate a knowledge claim, most of which is b.s.....I actually hate the fact that you can't be wrong because its usually hard to explain why you think the way you are thinking.

i hope people understand what im trying to say, which is that I'm so used to the american system of just one point blank answer instead of the reasoning and logic Canadian system.

 

[Bertez]

Here in Canada....well atleast the Region of Peel, the marks are normally broken up into 4 different sections.......so the overall mark is a combination of many different education aspects instead of just knowledge.

 

[Sen]

it sure is easier than education system in Asia.

I sleep before 12 every night and sometimes i dont do homework, dont study for tests, this is unimaginable in China.

btw i agree with post no.3, while it seems that many American students get high GPA, it does not necessarily means it's easier to get into colleges (especially good colleges) in states, SAT/college essays can be very stressful.

 

[jeicow]

Here in Canada....well atleast the Region of Peel, the marks are normally broken up into 4 different sections.......so the overall mark is a combination of many different education aspects instead of just knowledge.

Peel was/is the "test" region for the whole four categories thing. I don't know if it has actually spread but according to my English teacher (who holds some sort of higher position in the union) it's all a rip off of what happened in California in the early 90s in some test regions. They ditched it because it wasn't helping. I have to say that in some subjects it makes sense (Social Science/English) but in things like music (I'm in RAP) it's just idiotic to the max. Btw, what were your experiences with it? Did teachers actually follow it and believe it or just complain about it most of the time.

 

[ToRoNto g-town]

never done any american work but i think canadian schooling is almost as good as it gets..

 

[cazswell]

Peel was/is the "test" region for the whole four categories thing. I don't know if it has actually spread but according to my English teacher (who holds some sort of higher position in the union) it's all a rip off of what happened in California in the early 90s in some test regions. They ditched it because it wasn't helping. I have to say that in some subjects it makes sense (Social Science/English) but in things like music (I'm in RAP) it's just idiotic to the max. Btw, what were your experiences with it? Did teachers actually follow it and believe it or just complain about it most of the time.

it has spread, at least into the Niagara Region anyways.

Depending on what subject it is, it ca be either a mix of "Knowledge/Undertanding", "Inquiry," "making Connections," "Communication," and "TIPS" (which is Math-only). For example, my physics mark is broken up into 30% K/U, 20% I, 10% MC, 10% Comm, plus a 30% exam.

In terms of the "thought" vs. "fact," alot of it depends on the subject aswell. There isn't much "thought" in subjects like math, while there isn't much "fact" in subjects like English. Science classes are usually split 50/50 between theory and acctual calculations/memorisation/definitions/etc. English classes now (in my experience) don't do the "old way" of teaching a book anymore - ex. main characters, plot, etc. Alot of it now is in the analysing of the book/characters, and personal oppinion. The only notes you take are usually breif point summarising or explaining something that you've read, but a teacher will never tell you the reason for something - it's up to your own judgement. And you don't study for English tests or exams anymore - nothing on them is fact or study-able (if that's a word).

 

[Bertez]

Peel was/is the "test" region for the whole four categories thing. I don't know if it has actually spread but according to my English teacher (who holds some sort of higher position in the union) it's all a rip off of what happened in California in the early 90s in some test regions. They ditched it because it wasn't helping. I have to say that in some subjects it makes sense (Social Science/English) but in things like music (I'm in RAP) it's just idiotic to the max. Btw, what were your experiences with it? Did teachers actually follow it and believe it or just complain about it most of the time.

Ahhhh.....sometimes it helped me sometimes it screwed me. Most of my teachers did follow it, especially math and the sciences. English although they did go under the same structure, many of the assignments seemed to be heavily weighted on communication aspect. It's a good way of dividing the mark, but it 's a bitch to try and figure out what your average was on a test

 

[algonquin]

I would think that differences are largely regional, and can't be based on country v.s. country.

All I can say is that I was very fortunate to go to a school that, as a whole, focused on academic and cultural studies such as English, Latin, Drama, History and the arts. We didn't even have a football team, no one cared... No violence either... that is, people fought with thier fists. Kids are cowards now... knives and guns... BAH!

:rant:

 

[Bartolo]

I had ENG4U last semester, and the final exam was on basically non-studyable material, and the exam was on the book Heart of Darkness and well i never read it because im lazy. The exam though was about your feelings about the book, and the symboliziam (sp?) in the book. Basically you could b.s. the whole exam, if you just knew the basic outline of the book. Thats basically what i did, and ended up getting one of the highest marks on the exam lol. 85% not super high but, whatever.

 

[vid]

I paid almost no attention to my foods class, I know little about cooking and can't cook anything other than rice and microwavable foods, but I got 99% on that exam and passed with 50% for the course. I've done that with an Animation, graphic design, and world issues classes, too, and will probably do it with my current English and History courses.

I'm such an idiot.

 

[InTheBeach]

I would think that differences are largely regional, and can't be based on country v.s. country.

:rant:

Agreed. This is especially true in the US, where the public school system varies widely from county to county. Compare the Houston School District to the Katy School District. They are right next to each other and worlds apart.

In Canada, I noticed a huge difference in the level of education (not intelligence) from high school to high school. Some of my engineering classmates had not even done integrals in high school. I was always impressed by the CEGEP students.

 

[♣628.finst]

Ahhhh.....sometimes it helped me sometimes it screwed me. Most of my teachers did follow it, especially math and the sciences. English although they did go under the same structure, many of the assignments seemed to be heavily weighted on communication aspect. It's a good way of dividing the mark, but it 's a bitch to try and figure out what your average was on a test

Very bad, when they trying to weighted on communication aspect. These days for sure Canadian Students would be more stressful if their language ability is just below average like I did when I was a high school student--- and probably very hard to get to a college.

It's very true. Personally I dislike English language lessons, French Language is even worse, and I dropped it in grade 10. Therefore I managed to get mediocre marks and get into a University in Western Manitoba--- it's very subjective compared with subjects like Mathematics or Physics, but the foundation of writing is basically the same, and therefore I had a really hard time when I was an undergraduate student--- All of those 4 years are very tough and finally I managed to get rid of it. College Essay is stressful... don't even imagine it would be easy (Unless your communication ability is ABOVE average, then that's another story...) basically in Australia, Canada or United States, when compared with New Zealand, UK, Ireland or Continental Europe, it's based on a more "liberal" system, that stresses communication ability much more than knowledge. Therefore some people suggests that some tests, such as SAT, is actually very similar to an IQ test, and shows very high correlation.

And I do notice this would lead to a worse education system, inevitably, because those with lower communication ability did not gain confidence by their hard-work, while those with higher communication ability... some of them would be very lazy and still get a chance into college. This is, perhaps, not the case in Western Europe or NZ.

 

[furrycanuck]

I can say having attended or taught at four American universities (including one elite liberal arts college and one commuter college in Alabama), and having taught at five Canadian universities, the higher education offered in the US is better at every level. Better faculty, smaller class sizes, more support for research, no granting of tenure as a rubber-stamped entitlement, much more stringent expectations for students, longer semesters with more hours of instruction, and a more lively campus environment. One of the Canadian schools I worked at (for 3 years) was the illustrious University of Toronto, which is perhaps comparable to The University of Michigan- but the Flint campus, with 100% commuter population, huge mass education lowest-common-denominator model of teaching, and an admission policy that entailed letting anybody in with a pulse.

 

[Nanaimo Bars]

Universities aside, the public school system is much better in at least from a Washington state and BC perspective! My sister lives in Gig Harbour having left Nanaimo about two years ago. The students get marks for doing there homework not the content of the work. My sister actually does more teaching then the teacher making sure the subject content is correct.
I think the private schools are closer too the Canadian public schools in the US.
From my sisters point of view!