Change of Education System and What it Entails.
System Changes:
USA
|
India
|
Flexible type of
education.
|
Rigid type of
education.
|
Extracurricular activities
and sports have equal importance to core subjects. Fitness is evaluated.
|
Core subject (math,
science, history, etc.) given much more importance. Sports classes once per
week. Not usually evaluated.
|
Public schools are in
good shape. Facilities, sanitary, well maintained.
|
Public schools are not
in good shape. Small classrooms, unsanitary, no extra facilities. Private
schools are preferred by most people.
|
Allows students to
explore subjects, study more on their interests.
|
Usually not much
choice till after 10th grade.
|
Math isn’t compulsory.
|
Math compulsory till
10th grade.
|
Focus on basics. Not
too much depth in the subjects.
|
Lot of depth in
textbooks. Advanced topics learnt early.
|
More emphasis given to
creative thinking.
|
Memorization required
at times.
|
Low
level of learning. Those studying in US would not be able to clear Indian
entrance exams.
|
High
level of learning. Those studying in India can easily clear American exams
such as the Subject SAT’s.
|
Subject Changes:
Since I've studied in ICSE and ISC Boards, most information about school syllabus and subjects will pertain to these boards.
I won't go into too much detail about this, but there are a few major changes.
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics: There are two changes. First, Indian schools go into more depth. For example, a student in USA or India at some point may learn complex numbers, a math topic. American standards usually cover the basics, while in India you would learn advanced concepts like Argand's plane, De Moivre's Theorem, etc. Let's compare two questions.
From SAT (American):
From 3 + 2i, subtract its complex conjugate.
It isn't too difficult.
From JEE Mains (Indian):
Let z = 1+ai be a complex number, a<0, such that z^3 is a real number. Then the sum 1+z+z^2....+z^11 is equal to - ?
It is harder than the previous question and requires more knowledge on the topic.
The same can be said for the science subjects.
The difficulty between systems and exams is as follows:
American System < American Exams (SAT) < Indian Board System < Indian Entrance Exams (JEE).
The second change is that the concepts are learnt earlier in India. This may not be true for every single topic but it is a regular trend for most. Many questions asked on the SAT Math portion and Subject SAT's, which are taken in 11th or 12th grade, were on topics that I had learnt as early as 8th grade in India.
You can expect these subjects to go deep, but you shouldn't consider it to be a problem. Just remember that you have to progress just as fast as the subject advances. It really isn't that hard to manage once you develop a study style that will help you get better marks.
Some people may say that Sciences and Mathematics are difficult, but that isn't the case if you study properly. The different and efficient study mechanisms will be discussed in more detail in later posts (Studying Changes).
Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) in most Boards is optional after 8th grade, while Math is optional after 10th grade.
Social Studies (History, Civics, Geography): The obvious change is that you'll learn about Indian topics in greater detail. In History, first the ancient civilizations all over the world are learnt. Only after this do the students learn about only Indian history, for nearly four or five years. In the last years, they do teach World History, that is, the World Wars, the United Nations, etc. Till 10th Grade it is compulsory (CBSE and ICSE), but you can chose to study it for 11th and 12th.
Civics is basically the functioning of the government, which is usually taught after 5th or 6th grade till the 10th grade. Only topics about the Indian Parliament is taught.
Geography is a little different, because Indian schools teach World Geography, one continent at a time, till around 8th grade. 9th and 10th grade focus only on Indian Geography. Especially in 10th Grade, you will be required to into great detail, learning the map of India, irrigation, agriculture, industries, weather and more, along with basic topographical knowledge.
For all these subjects, the contents are vastly different from American standards, and so it's difficult to compare them. However the basic study mechanism should be the same. Since these subjects deal in facts, it's impossible to do well without memorization, unlike Science or Math, were you are required to think on your own, at least sometimes. But it is still possible to do good, if you study the right way, which I'll explain in a later post.
English: Probably the most significant change. I'll be talking about the subject English, and not the English that we speak, because they are different. Difficulty wise, English subject in India is easier than in America, because in America, you're required to think much more, use creative writing, and have your own ingenuity. Broadly speaking, English in India has two subjects, Literature (prose, poems and stories), and Language (called Language Arts in America), and both subjects have separate exam papers (in ICSE and ISC).
In Literature, in early years, it won't be too difficult, with small and simple poems and stories. Not too much studying is required. Once you get to 8th grade, is when the stories and poems become longer and more complicated, and most schools add Shakespeare to the syllabus. Usually, you'll have 2 or 3 years to complete a full Shakespeare play. I had Merchant of Venice from 8th to 10th Grade ICSE, followed by Much Ado About Nothing in 11th and 12th Grade ISC. The Literature in India, in my opinion, is easier than that of US, because you aren't required to dive deep into the story, and you don't need to learn too much about the metaphors, similes, theme, symbolism and other vague and abstract points. Up until 10th grade, mainly remembering the essential points about the story or poem along with some characterization is all that's needed. After 10th though, it does become a little deeper, with emphasis on the themes and characterization. In ICSE, mainly 3 or 4 mark questions are asked, with 16 mark long answers optional questions. In 12th ISC however, you are required to take 4, 20 mark compulsory questions, which test your ability to write creatively on vaguely defined topics in the story or poem.
Language requires you to be adept in writing compositions up to 500 or more words long, writing letters, reports or articles, reading a passage and then answering questions about it, and finally, grammar, which includes transformation of sentences, prepositions, usage of verbs, etc.
In both parts, scoring is a little difficult, especially in school exams (for most schools). For example, my school wouldn't give anyone more than an 85 out of 100 in English, because they say that every answer isn't perfect and can be improved upon. However, in the Boards, that is, the final exams, it is difficult to score above 95, while in other subjects, it isn't that difficult to do so, if you study. Moreover, in ICSE and ISC, English is a compulsory subject (in English medium schools) and very important when considering your final grade. This is because, you can chose to leave out one subject in your average score, other than English. So even if you score 100's in science, history and math, English can bring your average down. So you'll have to prepare properly for it, which I'll detail in a later post.
Languages: Most schools opt for a three language path, which is usually, English, Hindi and the Regional Language. However some Boards also provide foreign languages, like French, German or Spanish, while other schools teach Sanskrit. In ICSE, you take English as compulsory, a second language which can be Hindi, the regional language or a foreign language, and up till 8th grade, a third language, however the 3rd language doesn't affect your average. For example, for me, since I went to a Bangalore school that taught foreign languages, I had the options of Hindi, Kannada, or French for 2nd and 3rd language and I opted to take my second language as French, and my third language as Hindi. The choice of Languages that you get is solely based on the school, bet generally ICSE and IGCSE schools have foreign languages. In 11th and 12th Grade, ISC and CBSE, languages other than English are not required, which is an advantage because the time you would have spent studying a Language can be utilized in studying for other subjects.
Now since I've talked about changes in the subject, it's obvious that the way you have to study for each subject will be different, and this is what I'll highlight in the next post.
From 3 + 2i, subtract its complex conjugate.
It isn't too difficult.
From JEE Mains (Indian):
Let z = 1+ai be a complex number, a<0, such that z^3 is a real number. Then the sum 1+z+z^2....+z^11 is equal to - ?
It is harder than the previous question and requires more knowledge on the topic.
The same can be said for the science subjects.
The difficulty between systems and exams is as follows:
American System < American Exams (SAT) < Indian Board System < Indian Entrance Exams (JEE).
The second change is that the concepts are learnt earlier in India. This may not be true for every single topic but it is a regular trend for most. Many questions asked on the SAT Math portion and Subject SAT's, which are taken in 11th or 12th grade, were on topics that I had learnt as early as 8th grade in India.
You can expect these subjects to go deep, but you shouldn't consider it to be a problem. Just remember that you have to progress just as fast as the subject advances. It really isn't that hard to manage once you develop a study style that will help you get better marks.
Some people may say that Sciences and Mathematics are difficult, but that isn't the case if you study properly. The different and efficient study mechanisms will be discussed in more detail in later posts (Studying Changes).
Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) in most Boards is optional after 8th grade, while Math is optional after 10th grade.
Social Studies (History, Civics, Geography): The obvious change is that you'll learn about Indian topics in greater detail. In History, first the ancient civilizations all over the world are learnt. Only after this do the students learn about only Indian history, for nearly four or five years. In the last years, they do teach World History, that is, the World Wars, the United Nations, etc. Till 10th Grade it is compulsory (CBSE and ICSE), but you can chose to study it for 11th and 12th.
Civics is basically the functioning of the government, which is usually taught after 5th or 6th grade till the 10th grade. Only topics about the Indian Parliament is taught.
Geography is a little different, because Indian schools teach World Geography, one continent at a time, till around 8th grade. 9th and 10th grade focus only on Indian Geography. Especially in 10th Grade, you will be required to into great detail, learning the map of India, irrigation, agriculture, industries, weather and more, along with basic topographical knowledge.
For all these subjects, the contents are vastly different from American standards, and so it's difficult to compare them. However the basic study mechanism should be the same. Since these subjects deal in facts, it's impossible to do well without memorization, unlike Science or Math, were you are required to think on your own, at least sometimes. But it is still possible to do good, if you study the right way, which I'll explain in a later post.
English: Probably the most significant change. I'll be talking about the subject English, and not the English that we speak, because they are different. Difficulty wise, English subject in India is easier than in America, because in America, you're required to think much more, use creative writing, and have your own ingenuity. Broadly speaking, English in India has two subjects, Literature (prose, poems and stories), and Language (called Language Arts in America), and both subjects have separate exam papers (in ICSE and ISC).
In Literature, in early years, it won't be too difficult, with small and simple poems and stories. Not too much studying is required. Once you get to 8th grade, is when the stories and poems become longer and more complicated, and most schools add Shakespeare to the syllabus. Usually, you'll have 2 or 3 years to complete a full Shakespeare play. I had Merchant of Venice from 8th to 10th Grade ICSE, followed by Much Ado About Nothing in 11th and 12th Grade ISC. The Literature in India, in my opinion, is easier than that of US, because you aren't required to dive deep into the story, and you don't need to learn too much about the metaphors, similes, theme, symbolism and other vague and abstract points. Up until 10th grade, mainly remembering the essential points about the story or poem along with some characterization is all that's needed. After 10th though, it does become a little deeper, with emphasis on the themes and characterization. In ICSE, mainly 3 or 4 mark questions are asked, with 16 mark long answers optional questions. In 12th ISC however, you are required to take 4, 20 mark compulsory questions, which test your ability to write creatively on vaguely defined topics in the story or poem.
Language requires you to be adept in writing compositions up to 500 or more words long, writing letters, reports or articles, reading a passage and then answering questions about it, and finally, grammar, which includes transformation of sentences, prepositions, usage of verbs, etc.
In both parts, scoring is a little difficult, especially in school exams (for most schools). For example, my school wouldn't give anyone more than an 85 out of 100 in English, because they say that every answer isn't perfect and can be improved upon. However, in the Boards, that is, the final exams, it is difficult to score above 95, while in other subjects, it isn't that difficult to do so, if you study. Moreover, in ICSE and ISC, English is a compulsory subject (in English medium schools) and very important when considering your final grade. This is because, you can chose to leave out one subject in your average score, other than English. So even if you score 100's in science, history and math, English can bring your average down. So you'll have to prepare properly for it, which I'll detail in a later post.
Languages: Most schools opt for a three language path, which is usually, English, Hindi and the Regional Language. However some Boards also provide foreign languages, like French, German or Spanish, while other schools teach Sanskrit. In ICSE, you take English as compulsory, a second language which can be Hindi, the regional language or a foreign language, and up till 8th grade, a third language, however the 3rd language doesn't affect your average. For example, for me, since I went to a Bangalore school that taught foreign languages, I had the options of Hindi, Kannada, or French for 2nd and 3rd language and I opted to take my second language as French, and my third language as Hindi. The choice of Languages that you get is solely based on the school, bet generally ICSE and IGCSE schools have foreign languages. In 11th and 12th Grade, ISC and CBSE, languages other than English are not required, which is an advantage because the time you would have spent studying a Language can be utilized in studying for other subjects.
Now since I've talked about changes in the subject, it's obvious that the way you have to study for each subject will be different, and this is what I'll highlight in the next post.
