The Cultivation of the Whole Child.

This paper discusses how today's children must be prepared to meet the challenge of the information age, stressing the importance of cultivating the whole child and noting the teacher's role in this endeavor. The first section describes basic education in China, focusing on required schooling, the curriculum, textbooks, examinations, and moral education. The second section presents a view of education in the United States, focusing on the state of Massachusetts. The third section compares the two education systems, examining commonalities and disparities. The fourth section focuses on the cultivation of the whole child, which is one of the commonalities between the two countries. It discusses the cultivation of children's personal qualities (moral, psychological, physical, cultural, and professional) and cultivation of children's abilities, including the ability to learn and the ability to adapt in an ever-changing world. The accumulation and application of knowledge accompany the development of children's personal qualities and abilities. When children are trained to become people with high personal qualities and abilities, they are learning how to know and how to do. As their knowledge increases, their personal qualities and abilities also grow. (SM)