MIXING OIL AND
WATER
Chinese and Saudi students in
the Classroom
Jacquie Osborn/jlosborn@svsu.edu
Diane Deacon/dkdeacon@svsu.edu
Saginaw Valley State University
Classroom Management Issues
Group Activities:
Time Management (On task):
Appropriate Classroom Behavior:
A Bit of History
Saudi Arabia
China
 Privileged few until 1932
 1986: Compulsory Education
 Ministry of Education, 1953
 Literacy rate went from 68% to
92% today
 Currently an agenda for
continued reform
 Largest school system in the
world
What do they study?
Saudi Arabia
 Main focus: Islam
 Primary: Arabic, art, geography,
history, home economics (girls),
PE (boys), math, science
 Intermediate level: Arabic, art,
English, geography, math,
history, home ec (girls), PE
(boys), science
 Secondary (HS): Similar to
intermediate but add: scientific,
vocational/technical or literary
track.
China
 Primary curriculum: Chinese,
math, PE, music, drawing, nature,
history, geography and work
experience.
 3rd grade, they add politics, moral
training, ethics, and English.
 Middle School: Prepare for a
national exam they will take after
8th grade that determines their
course of study.
 HS: Choice of schools. Some are
more prestigious than others.
The School Day
Saudi Arabia
China
 7/7:30 am-1:30/2:00, 5 days/wk.
 Segregated by gender.
 Student/teacher relationship
formal.
 More weight is given to
tests/exams and less on
homework and student
participation.
 Extracurriculars, such as sports
and clubs, are becoming more
prevalent.
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7:30-4:00, 5 ½ days/wk.
9 ½ months a year.
Some evenings
Student/teacher relationship
formal
 Emphasis on tests
 Extracurriculars not encouraged
unless there is a clear goal and
outcome.
Attitudes: Strengths and Criticisms
Saudi Arabia
China
 Students don’t challenge the
teacher
 School doesn’t prepare thinkers
 Memorization
 Memorization
 Emphasis on Islam
Strength:
 Islam supports education, so the
Kingdom has responded with
many reforms.
 Students may be “tracked” too
early
Strength:
 Students outperform many
countries on standardized tests
Implications to consider:
In both China and KSA, many students do not select their own
course of study.
Determined by parents, or exam scores.
Despite extensive pre-college preparation, many students are
unprepared for the demands of a university education.
Implications …….
In both China and KSA, students have focused on a particular area
of study and may lack skills and confidence in other areas.
Professors have differing roles in the U.S.A.
The silent student.
A more interactive classroom.
Some Recommendations
Make your expectations explicit regarding:
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Time allocation
Grading
Ground rules for discussions
Faculty/student roles
Classroom etiquette
Cheating and Plagiarism
Sources
• United States. CIA. The World Factbook. April 7, 2013. Literacy.
Web. 13 Sept. 2013.
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. 2013.
Education. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
• Hendrickson, Peggy Bell. “Update on the Higher Education System
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Advancing Global Higher
Education. n.p. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
• Mack, Lauren. “Schools in China: Introduction to School and
Education in China.” About.com. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.
• China Education Center Ltd. “China Education.” China Education
Center. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
• Carnegie Mellon University. “Recognizing and Addressing Cultural
Variations in the Classroom.” Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence.
n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
QUESTION AND MONITOR SLIPS
Help the speaker learn to listen; the listener learn to speak
Basic idea:
Speaker student is given a
number of tokens and instructed to listen to
Listener student. Each time Listener student
asks a question, Speaker gives him/her a token.
Listener student is instructed to ask
questions relevant to the class at any time
during the class period. The goal is to collect as
many tokens as possible.
At the end of class the tokens are
counted and entered in the grade book.
QUESTION AND MONITOR SLIPS
•Suggestions and Variations:
 Level dependent: May require direct
instruction in meaning and formation first
Build up to competition over the course of
the semester (Ex. First in a group discussion,
then whole class)
When whole class only select 2
 May need to start with “aggressive”
students so that target students have a model
FROM NOTES TO SUMMARIES
Help your students become confident in using their own words.
A semester long process
Demonstrate step by step
Step 1: Whole class introduce strategies over 2 or 3 articles (oral or
written)
May start with relevant information identification—underlining
Main idea/details, Beginning-Middle-End, Wh questions to lists or
charts
Language Experience style group writing or retelling
 Step 2: Individual, Pairs, homework
 Transfer note taking to post-it notes----NO COMPLETE SENTENCES
 May start with prewritten question words then move to blanks
FROM NOTES TO SUMMARIES
Help your students become confident in using their own words.
Step 3: Whole class
 Group the post-it notes together on the wall or board by
category.
This step is key to build confidence. It allows students to see that
they are “getting it” because everyone will have the same answers
but they may be written in different ways. It helps them to
understand that often times there is more than one answer, one
way to think, or one way to do something.
 Step 4: Summary or Retelling
 Write the summary or retell the story from the post-it notes, no books,
no copying, complete sentences. (First together, then alone)
 Helps to focus on organization; getting the beginning, middle and end
and NO PLAGIARISM.
Q and A
Thank you!