Curious kids flushed out of schools in China

 

Recently, I posted an article stating that many curious, intelligent kids in China are being pushed out of school due to poor grades. This issue arises from the confusion created by teaching Pinyin using Bopomofo initial sounds. This situation mirrors what happens in the Western world, where letters are taught with extraneous sounds, causing many children to disengage from learning to read.

 

Here is a video to illustrate what I mean by extraneous sounds. [LINK]

One of my previous bosses, for whom I worked in the early '80s, commented as follows:

 

Nai Seng Tan:

"With progress made so far and surpassing many developed nations in economy, R&D in sciences, engineering, and technology—and not forgetting uplifting 800 million out of poverty within 20 to 25 years, a feat where no other nation even knows where to begin—China must have a very successful proven education system and methodology."

 

My thoughts:

What my former boss and good friend said is true; no one can dispute it. Thirty-five years ago, China was nowhere close to Malaysia, but in that time, they have significantly advanced in development and education. Many of our students now pursue higher education in China.

 

However, my friend missed the point. I am not commenting on the higher education standards in China; I am addressing the undeniable fact that many curious kids shut down and disengage from learning to read because teachers teach Pinyin with Bopomofo sounds. I have several videos on my blog demonstrating how teachers teach incorrectly. [LINK] [LINK]

 

This issue is similar to what occurs in the Western world and Malaysia, where confusion causes many children to disengage from learning to read. Dyslexia advocates often capitalize on this phenomenon, labelling these children as dyslexic and providing therapy, when simply correcting the sounds of the letters could resolve the issue. Here is an example of how I taught a mother in Australia. [LINK]

Here is a testimonial from a grandmother in California. [LINK]

These children, who struggle to enter universities, are often brilliant minds who could become inventors and scientists if they hadn't disengaged from reading. These are the children David Brooks referred to in The Atlantic. [LINK]

They are the kids Maggie Chiang discussed in her video with Martin Bloomfield. [LINK]

 

Many leave schools as illiterates and only begin to read after graduation, much like Tom Cruise. [LINK]

Others, like David Chalk, started reading at age 62. [LINK]

John Corcoran even taught high school for 17 years without knowing how to read. [LINK]

 

If China teaches Pinyin correctly and prevents misinformation from influencing teachers in Sabah, we could see improvements. Tan Nai Seng highlighted China’s R&D in science, but where is the research focused on effectively teaching Pinyin? If I can teach a child to read Pinyin within two weeks with just one hour a day, why can't China achieve similar results in three years?

 

Any comments and questions are welcome.