Alix Spiegel Struggle For Smarts Summary

Alix Spiegel’s article, “Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learning” tells a story of the contrasts between western and eastern education. (Spiegel, 2012) As I read the article, I thought about my experiences in education growing up in the small country of Jamaica. Similar to the Japanese class Jim Stigler found himself in, I remember Jamaican classes being crowded and underdeveloped. Similar to the article, I remember education being a major social focus in Jamaica. Students that were considered strong or fast learners were considered smart. I remember my brother and sister coming home from school and talking about who was first in their class, in math and science. I remember my brother, at one point, struggling with a math concept and doing whatever he could to figure it out. Days after days went by as he attempted to practice, teaching himself and master this one particular math concept. When he finally figured it

Relative to the United States and other developed nations, Jamaican is considered to be economically underdeveloped. Generally, education is considered a path to success for many individuals in countries like Jamaica. As a child, I remember education being the main focus of my Mother’s daily preaching to my siblings and I. To many, education is seen as a necessity to pulling yourself and family out of poverty and into economic prosperity. Scientifically, many believe, even educators, those societies that invest in education, at certain levels, will gain high social and economic return on their investments (ROI). (Arnove, Torres, & Franz, 2012, p. 166, Kindle Edition) The perceived ROI that education brings, drives the pursuit of education and investment in educations. This same social and economic ROI drives the pragmatic aspects of education both in western and eastern