| "Innovation is the soul of national progress and also the unexhausted impetus of national prosperity. This is the objective truth of human historical development that has been proved over and over again by experience." Jiang Zemin reiterates. Nowadays, the progress in the science and technology of the world is changing with each passing day. The innovations of science and technology have become the dominant force of the development of economy and society. In the economic globalization of the 21st century, the renaissance and strength of China greatly depend on innovations in all fields of the society, especially in the area of science and technology. For China, the talents of all kinds are the key of innovation. The emphases of cultivation of talents should be put on children.It has been proved by history that the youth are the most innovative generation. Many important inventions are made by the young, which have profound influence on the world. For instance, Einstein discovered the Special Theory of Relativity at the age of 26; Heisenberg advanced the Quantum Theory at the age of 24, etc.However, at present, many Chinese youngsters bear little awareness about innovation. The capabilities of innovation, practice and problem solving of Chinese youngsters are poorer than those of the developed countries, such as the US. In the 21st century, high-quality talents will be the powerful weapons in the fiercer competitions. How can the youngsters shoulder the great task of the China's renaissance? If they are to be fostered in present Chinese education model, it will be a question mark as they may lack innovative capability. To improve the abilities of Chinese youngsters, I think that two things must be done. One is to find the causes of the problems above mentioned; another is to determine the methods to solve the problems. Then, I did some researches on this topic.The healthy growing up of youngsters has much to do with the education in school, family and society. From history and traditional perspectives, this thesis analyses the comparative differences of culture and values between China and America, and the influences on the innovative capabilities' cultivation of youngsters in both countries. It then discovers that besides various historical reasons, like the feudal society and the long lasting ancient Chinese imperial examination system, some other aspects of Chinese culture and values are also harmful to the cultivation of innovative ideas and capabilities. These include young people's obedience to the elder, the so-called "face" and so on. From the perspective of reality, this thesis exams the differences in methods, objectives and assessments of school and family education between China and USA, and consequently proposes that there are some problems in present Chinese education. The exam-oriented education system places focuses only on scores and knowledge, but pays little attention to the comprehensive quality of students. What's more, family policy in China also has heavy impacts on the innovative capabilities of youngsters. The main purpose of the thesis is to show the emergent need and pressing necessity of renewing the ideas of education of children. We should know clearly the significance of innovation and practice of youngsters, and the respective functions of school, family and society in cultivation of innovative capabilities of youngsters. Eliciting from the successful experiences of American education, I give some suggestions about cultivation of innovative capabilities of Chinese youngsters. First, we should remove the obsolete sections of youngsters' education in Chinese culture and values as early as possible. Then, we should deepen the reform of education in China by turning exam-oriented education into quality-oriented education. We should also teach our children to study with scientific methods, guiding them to think, encouraging them to challenge the authority and do something novel. In a word, a climate favorable to the innovative ideas and ability of youn...
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