不久前，作为一个月的交换项目，五位中国教师去了英国一所学校教书，看中国的教育理念在英国是否行得通。结果，他们没办法相信其教学方法可以使英国学生更好地学习，因为那些学生太懒惰、无理。英国教师则认为，中国学生学习的时间太长，对他们的期待也太高，而太少时间享受生活。

Not so long ago, five Chinese teachers went on a one-month exchange program to a school in England to see if the Chinese pedagogical idea would work in England or not. In the end, they failed to convince themselves that their teaching method can make British students study well, since they are too lazy and bad-mannered. British teachers, however, think that students in China are raised to study for too-long hours with too high expectations, and leave too little time to enjoy life.

这篇报道再次触及到了源于中西方教育制度的不同教学方法的效果问题。在过去数十年间，该问题引起过热烈争论，在教师、学生、家长和公众中有着不同反响。

The report once again touches upon the sensitive issue of the effectiveness of different teaching methods, derived from their related educational systems between China and the West, which has been hotly debated over the past several decades, causing controversies among teachers, students, parents and the concerned public.

在某种意义上，教育模式可分为考试型与素质型两种，通常认为前者属中国教育制度，后者属西方教育制度。在前一种教育制度下，学生被迫努力学习，每天做长时间、过重的家庭作业，其负荷量往往超过了他们的能力；他们死记硬背，全靠书本知识，而不是理解问题、开发智力，更谈不上德育培养。

In some sense, educational patterns may be classified into two: the exam-oriented and the quality-oriented, which have often been identified respectively with the Chinese and Western educational systems. Under the former, students are pushed to work hard and over-burdened with homework on a prolonged daily basis that exceeds their natural capabilities, to memorize knowledge and get everything from books by rote, instead of thoroughly understanding the issues and developing their intellect, let alone cultivating morality.



对于大部分中国学生来讲，学习已经成为如何通过考试的一种训练，其目的是为了进入好大学、得到好工作。相反，后一种教育模式为学生提供宽松的学习环境，学生可主动地参加各种形式的教学活动，有更多空间开发潜能、才智，培育爱好，修养道德。

For most Chinese students, learning has become an exercise in how to pass examinations, which is aimed at entering prestigious universities and consequently getting good jobs. In contrast, the latter educational pattern provides students with an enjoyable learning environment, where they can actively participate in various activities that are deemed to be part of their education, leaving them more room to develop their natural abilities, talents and hobbies as well as nurturing their virtues.

然而，中国教育体制的优势在于其可有效地巩固基础知识，而西方的则更有利于创造力和想象力的培养。

The merit of the Chinese educational system, however, lies in its effective approach to consolidating fundamentals, whereas the Western educational system favors more creativity and imagination.

显然，无论是西方还是中国的教育制度都是不完美的，他们或许可以相向而行，取长补短。最重要的是，是不要忘记教育应不仅被看作是获取知识、通过考试的手段，而更应该被视为一个在德育、智育上为社会培养合格、具有责任感的公民的过程。

Obviously, neither the Western nor the Chinese educational system is perfect. Perhaps they should be moving toward each other – learning each other’s strengths and overcoming their weaknesses. Above all, we should never lose sight of the value of education, which ought not to be viewed merely as a means of getting knowledge and passing examinations, but as a process which produces qualified citizens who are morally as well as intellectually enlightened and equipped to behave responsibly in society.