Welcome to another Fun Fact Friday! Here’s this week’s eye-opening fun fact: learning isn’t universal. Different cultures have developed distinctly unique educational approaches that reflect their values…and the results might surprise you about what ‘effective learning’ really means!

Eastern philosophy

In many East Asian countries, particularly Japan and South Korea, the concept of ‘persistence through struggle’ is deeply embedded in learning culture. Students are taught that confusion and difficulty are natural parts of the learning process and something to embrace rather than avoid. This contrasts sharply with Western educational approaches, where the focus often centres on building confidence through early success and positive reinforcement.

Music in the classroom

While Eastern classrooms emphasise mental resilience, African education traditions take a completely different approach through sound and rhythm. In countries like Ghana and Nigeria, rhythmic chanting and musical patterns are fundamental to memorisation and comprehension. Students often learn mathematical concepts through songs and group recitation, creating a collaborative and auditory learning environment that builds both knowledge and community bonds.

Empowerment through education

Moving from collective harmony to individual empowerment, Brazil’s educational philosophy was revolutionised by Paulo Freire’s ‘critical pedagogy.’ This approach treats students as co-investigators rather than passive recipients of knowledge. Brazilian classrooms stress dialogue, real-world problem solving, and connecting education directly to students’ lived experiences. The focus isn’t just on what students learn, but on empowering them to question and transform their world through education.

Reciprocal learning

This empowerment concept finds a different expression in New Zealand’s integration of Māori learning principles. The concept of ‘ako’—where teaching and learning are reciprocal processes—means teachers learn from students just as much as students learn from teachers. This creates dynamic classrooms where hierarchy is less rigid and knowledge flows in multiple directions.

These diverse approaches remind us that there’s no single ‘correct’ way to learn effectively. As international education continues to grow, respecting these cultural learning preferences becomes essential for creating truly inclusive educational environments.

Written by Stephanie Clark