10/20/2021; W06: Individualism vs. Collectivism

Learning about Individualism and Collectivism in culture and education was eye-opening for me! Individualistic cultures seek independence and personal growth more; when Collective cultures consider belonging and doing what's best for the group. While they both have advantages and disadvantages, what I have learned is that it is always best to be genuine and creative to help our society by doing so. The following picture portraits what I mean:

Viewing it this way, Individualism is not a selfish thing anymore, right?

Now, to strengthen my point, let me show some of the dangers of Collectivism without uniqueness:

1. In collective countries standardized tests are a priority. It is important to stand out on international statistics. Then, students have a really tight schedule. They study from 6:30 in the morning, to 10:30 in the night. And they still have pending homework. The extreme collectivism is raising unhappy and unhealthy students (Ravitch, 2014).

2. Even though those countries might be at the top in the statistics, their students lack creativity. For example, in the case of China, it's been a while since the last time that a Chinese citizen has won a Nobel Prize. They focus too much on the tests, and focus all their curriculum on their preparation; that students don't have the opportunity to create and experience.

In my case, as a future TESOL instructor, I'm determined to never allow that to happen to my students. As I mentioned before, to my mind, Individualism is OK when we use our uniqueness to help others.

In Mexico we are a Collective community, nevertheless, we don't score high at international rankings. In my opinion, our academical curriculum is good. However, our problem is the "delivery" (teachers giving too much homework and not teaching with passion). As well as the lack of extra-curricular activities. This doesn't allow students to discover and be original. I think that is one of the reasons why students are not sure of what to study in college.

It is absolutely important to let students enjoy, create, and discover. That is why I admire countries with a diverse range of extra activities.

Ravitch, D. (2014). The Myth of Chinese Super Schools. URL: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2014/11/20/myth-chinese-super-schools/