Deciding What to Teach
“…the high achieving countries in TIMSS place greatest control in the hands of education experts, either national leaders (e.g., in Japan or Singapore) or classroom teachers (e.g., in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands). The U.S introduces a third influence—a middle-level agency, the district school board, composed of individuals who do not work full time in education and generally are not professionally trained in the field.”
From: Global Perspectives for Local Action
Beliefs Inferred about Mathematics Teaching
U.S. |
Japan |
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Teachers value student understanding of concepts, but emphasize skills. |
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Students learn by struggling with problems. |
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Skills are mastered incrementally. |
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Student confusion and frustration are a natural part of the process. |
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Student confusion and frustration mean that material is not mastered. |
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From: The TIMSS Videotape Classroom Study
Are U.S. Mathematics Teachers Implementing Reform Recommendations?
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95% of the teachers in the video study indicated that they were “aware” or “somewhat aware” of current ideas about mathematics teaching and learning.
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75% indicated that the lessons in the study were “a lot” or “a fair amount” in accordance with current ideas about mathematics teaching and learning.
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20% indicated that they had implemented the focus on mathematical (deductive) thinking.
From: Pursuing Excellence: A Study of Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context