联接与跨越 Bridging the Gap [连载三]

本专栏以《联接与跨越》为题，以一位华裔美国中学生的亲身体验，提供常识性的对美国小学和中学学习环境与学习方式、校园生活、课余活动、升学准备、交友与聚会等中国学生和家长感兴趣的话题，提供短小精悍的中英双语介绍。

本专栏分“小学篇”和“中学篇”，分别在我刊《小学教师》与《中学教师》中以连载的方式刊出。下文为“小学篇”的第三篇文章。

作者简介：王若桑，出生于美国康涅狄格州。现为美国罗德岛州南郡高中3年级学生。

Connie R. Wang is currently a junior student of the South Kingstown High School, South Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA.

三、开发式的课堂活动

小学阶段对于个人性格和兴趣培养是关键时期。有时，一些看似非常微小的事情，其影响却终会陪伴人生。美国小学很多开发式的教学活动就是致力于学生性格和创造力培养的。

在学校活动中，对大自然的认识和参与是很重要的一个环节。很多学校都将小规模的对大自然的探索纳入教学活动。例如：通过林中穿越来增加对周围事物的认知。此类活动让学生们建立起对或许会消失的自然环境的认识。活动也包括到当地的农场去郊游、访问，了解食物的来源和加工。通过此类活动，让学生们建立起与当地生活的紧密联系。接受大自然的沐浴也是激发学生们想象力和创造力的最好方式。比如：我在很多间休时间里会在岩石堆和林中玩乐，凭借自己的想象来假定一些虚构的情节。

为了帮助、激励学生们思维中的抽象性，很多学校都提倡广泛阅读不同类别的书籍。学生们很珍惜每周到学校图书室阅读的时间。男生往往是快速跑进去，大声喧哗，然后在他们喜欢的图书阅读中安静下来。女生们往往会直接找到她们喜欢的系列，例如琼尼-琼斯、奥利瓦猪、魔法树屋等。为了满足自己关于动物和自然界的好奇心，我常常取出尽可能多的关于狗和猫的百科全书。当然读这样的书有时会引来同伴们奇怪的目光，但能让自己的好奇心得到满足，这种阅读就非常值得。鉴于电视和计算机取代了很多学生生活中的阅读时间，学校倡导健康阅读的理念。除了简单要求学生阅读书籍，我记忆中的小学也充满了对阅读冗长乏味的期刊系列的要求。老师会要求学生们按章节逐一概述所阅读的图书，加入学生自己的解释和反思，并与自己的学习生活相联系。这种教学有助于链接主导概念，并使学生参与详细的阅读。

在美国小学，另一个重点是对想象力的培养。虽然每个人都能完成泛泛的知识记忆，创造性则更加重要。缺乏创造性的应用，知识就是无用的。在学校的其它活动中，我印象最深的是有许多“创造中心”。老师会在教室的角落摆放大桌子，上面堆满了各种纸、管道清洁剂、装鸡蛋的盒子、胶水、不干胶标签、细绳、小念珠、其他杂物等。世界上最美好的就是儿童的想象力和对生命的态度。在尚不需要面对成绩、工作和来自真实世界压力的时候，孩子们的童心会被保留在其创造的手工世界里。出于对成人以后的创新性的期待，学校都认为儿童期是激励他们具有超出手工世界想象力的最重要的时期。

虽然没有完全一样的两个童年，但对每一个个体而言，来自于童年的影响却是同一的。无论他们是成功的企业主管还是高中学生，其生命中对事物的认知、创造力和想象力往往来源于童年时期开发式的教学活动。

英文稿

Bridging The Gap (The Elementary School Series)

Article 3: Developmental Class Activities

The elementary school years are crucial in developing personal characteristics and interests. Sometimes, the little things of the past are what stick to us most. Many of the developmental class activities in the U.S. elementary schools do their purpose in helping to shape students' character and creativity.

Nature plays a big role in the developmental activities of school. More schools try to integrate small nature endeavors, such as class walks in the woods, to stimulate awareness of surroundings. They also help to give the children a sense of consideration for the environment that might otherwise be lost. There are many trips to local farms to see where and how food is produced, giving the students an overall connection to their local ties. Being immersed in nature is one of the best ways to develop imagination and creativity of students. I would spend most recesses playing amongst rocks and forests, pretending to be figments of my imagination.

To help stimulate the more abstract parts of the mind, many schools promote reading books of all genres. I certainly treasured my weekly class trips to the school library. The boys would always dash in, screaming relentlessly until they settled down with a book or two of their interests. The girls would in turn go directly to their favorite series' such as Junie B Jones, Olivia the Pig, and The Magic Tree House. To satiate my curiosity about animals and the natural world, I would take out as many encyclopedias about dogs and cats possible. Sure, I got a few weird looks from my peers, but the temporary satisfaction of my curiosity made it worthwhile. While TV's and computers have replaced a large amount of reading time in many children's lives, schools promote a healthy outlook on reading. Instead of simply requiring the children to read books, my memories of elementary schools are plagued with the tedious journal entries required. Teachers would ask students to do a chapter by chapter synopsis of the book, adding their own interpretations, reflections, and connections to self. This type of teaching helps to connect main ideas and thoroughly involve students in the reading process.

In American elementary schools, there is also a big emphasis put on imagination. While anyone can complete the perfunctory skills of memorization of knowledge, creativity is much more important. Knowledge isn't useful without the creativity to apply it. Among other things, my childhood memories are filled with moments at the "creativity centers" in school. The teachers would set up a big table in the corner of the class and fill the table with construction paper, pipe cleaners, egg cartons, glue, craft sticks, string, beads, and all other random odds and ends. One of the most beautiful things in the world is a child's imagination and perspective on life. At a time when grades, jobs, and the pressures of reality do not carry weight, a child's innocence can be preserved in little crafts that are made. In the hope for innovative adults, many schools are realizing that childhood is the most important time to stimulate "thinking outside of the box".

No two childhoods are exactly alike, but the common thread between them is the impact that they have on the individual. So whether one is a successful CEO or a high school student, the awareness, creativity, and imagination that one reflects in life can be attributed to the small developmental activities of childhood.