Critical Thinking and Convivial Learning in Central China

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: Humans in Paradise: Coping With Educational Predicaments

Abstract

Over a six month period in 2015 small groups of Chinese students in grades six through 11 joined in semi-weekly gatherings to critically explore a variety of social issues. Topics emerged from the viewing of controversial films and from questions devised by discussion leaders and the students themselves. The ongoing gatherings represented the desire of many Chinese young people and their parents for educational experiences outside the rigid technocratic framework provided by the Chinese public schooling system. Specific topics of discussion included meanings of justice, the importance of free speech, rights of LGBT and minority individuals, and the impact of Chinese culture on social relationships. The present study presents narratives from this varied intellectual activity.

Authors

• Roger C. Shouse, The Pennsylvania State University

• Jinyan Bai, The Pennsylvania State University