Classroom Culture in China

Book excerpt: This book comprehensively examines classroom culture in the Chinese context and develops the model of “collective-individualism-based learning.” Classroom culture plays a fundamental role in constructing students’ learning competencies, perceptions, and behaviors. This book puts forward a collective-individualism-based learning model to explain the classroom culture in China, both past and present. The collective-individualism-based model reflects the individualized learning style of students in Chinese classroom culture, and is characterized by nine symbolic objects; a textbook, an exercise book, a pen, a blackboard, a screen, a computer, a table, a chair, and a platform. In addition to summarizing this approach to learning, the book examines the construction of a classroom culture with Chinese characteristics and argues that the collective-individualism-based model accurately portrays the personal learning style of students in a specific classroom culture that includes particular symbolic objects.