Read the navigation
- preface
- New semester, new curriculum standards
- What's the problem
- Put it another way
- epilogue
preface
Compared with China, Australian mathematics is too simple and the progress is too slow!
My nephew can recite the multiplication table backwards in the first grade in China, and the australian third grade is still teaching integer addition and subtraction", the son of my friend Jade is in the fifth grade in Australia, and after the epidemic suspension last year, he has been insisting on taking an online class in China that specializes in mathematical thinking, and has completed several Singapore math workbooks.
Since then, mathematics has always maintained an all-A score, and some time ago he also represented the school in the Australian Mathematics Olympiad (Australian Mathematics Olympiad).
Jade has always felt that Mathematics education in Australia lags far behind China, and children have to use the Chinese method to learn mathematics, and there are not a few Chinese parents who share Jade's views.
"Australia has always been recognized as poor in mathematics, and primary schools have no textbooks and no homework, which makes parents worry about their children's mathematical level" - In the author's circle of friends, most Chinese parents are very worried about Australia's mathematics education.
So, is Australia's math education really that poor?
New semester, new curriculum standards
Judging from the international rankings, the mathematical level of Australian students is indeed a bit miserable!
Not long ago, Australian media reported that according to the data observation of the International Student Assessment Program (PISA) over the years, the mathematical performance of Australian students has been regressing, and the decline is only slightly smaller than that of Finland, ranking second to last! The math literacy of Australian students is only slightly higher than the OECD average.
Another study found that Australian students were 3.5 years behind their Chinese peers in math and three years behind their Singaporean counterparts! In recent years, the performance of Australian students in international mathematics competitions has also plummeted.
Australia's mathematical level ranking has declined year by year, so that the Australian Ministry of Education can not sit still!
In early April, the Australian Minister of Education approved a revised version of the new Australian Curriculum Standards, which will be piloted in the next semester and officially launched in 2023.
The new curriculum standards have made major adjustments to English, mathematics, history and other disciplines. In mathematics, more emphasis will be placed on cultivating students' computing ability, emphasizing that students should reduce the use of calculators when arithmetic. The difficulty of the first-grade math class will increase significantly, and students will have to start memorizing the ninety-nine multiplication table from the first semester of the second grade. The new curriculum will focus on the explanation of basic mathematical concepts, students' basic skills and problem solving ability training.
What's the problem
It is clear that the new curriculum standards make mathematics more difficult at the basic education stage and raise the evaluation standards.
"Slow progress, unsystematic, and insufficient practice" has always been a point that Australian mathematics teaching has been criticized by Chinese parents.
Indeed, in the current Australian primary school curriculum, there is not much emphasis on the basics of mathematics, and the requirements are low.
For example, the third grade only begins to learn multiplication tables, and only requires mastery of multiplication multiples of 2, 3, 5, and 10.
The syllabus also does not require teachers to practice effectively with students, which has led to many Australian students who have not yet mastered basic mathematical knowledge when they graduate from primary school.
In addition to the course syllabus, there are two important reasons.
Shortage of teachers
Australia is a country that has been complained about for many years as mathematics taught by physical education teachers.
It's really not a simple joke.
A recent survey in Victoria revealed that many victorian schools are facing a staff shortage. More than half of the 30 principals who participated in the survey said, "We can't recruit people, and we can't retain people, especially for math teacher positions." ”
What's even more frightening is that more than 2/5 of Victorian principals revealed that although the school offers math and science courses, most of the classroom teachers do not have teaching qualifications in mathematics/science, and more than 50% of mathematics teachers in Australia do not have teaching qualifications!
There are also data showing that in Australia, more than three-quarters of students, math classes are even taught by substitute teachers. In the face of the 65,000 new students growing every year, the shortage of professional mathematics teachers has become uncontrollable!
Emphasis on literature over reason
Almost every year, I carefully look through the homework books that my children bring back from school, five or six thick homework books every year, mathematics accounts for only one of them, and even half of them are not written.
In addition to English spelling, reading and writing, all kinds of graffiti and handicraft occupy a lot of weight. In the education I received in China, mathematics is a very important subject that requires a lot of repeated practice to learn well, and it is indeed a bit of a rush to see my son's thin math workbook.
Many Chinese parents have such a feeling about Australian primary education, that is, the school is far less important to mathematics learning than English learning, especially for English reading and writing.
In addition to English, art, sports, and music take up a lot of school time.
In fact, Australia's educational culture has always had a tradition of "emphasizing literature over reason", due to the neglect of the respect for science and mathematics education, it has also led to many Australian students being very repulsive to mathematics.
An analysis by the International Study of Trends in Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) found that up to a quarter of Fourth Grade students in Australia said they did not like mathematics at all, compared with one in five internationally.
Put it another way
There are also some Chinese parents who do not care about Australia's poor mathematics and serious backwardness in China's assessment.
Linda works as a teacher at a private school in Australia, "Unlike China, which attaches great importance to language and mathematics, in the basic education stage of Australia, mathematics and foreign languages are not so important, but pay more attention to humanities, physical education and arts." ”
Linda's daughter is in the 7th grade and has an average math level, but is very talented in music. In her opinion, the school provides children with a wide range of subjects, ensuring that children can be exposed to a wider range of things, giving each child enough space and time to find their own interests and specialties.
“
We have learned so much advanced mathematical knowledge in China, how much have we used in the subsequent life path? Bad math doesn't affect anything, everyone has their own strengths and strengths.
”
Indeed, australian basic education and Chinese basic education are actually two completely different concepts.
As far as Australia is concerned, it does not use one standard to test all people, so that everyone can play to their strengths, which is why australia's college entrance examination has more than 100 subjects to choose from. In this evaluation system, the high level of mathematics is really not so important.
Another feature of this system is that no one is constantly pushing you behind your back. For many children who lack autonomy and introspection, this kind of education actually means letting go.
This is also why Chinese parents are panicking about australia's basic education. After all, most Chinese parents have become accustomed to the high-pressure education model of questioning tactics and strict discipline by teachers in their education in China.
Of course, chinese parents attach great importance to their children's math education, and there are many merits. In fact, now the Australian government and society have realized the important role of science and engineering in the development of productive forces and social progress, and have gradually begun to change the educational atmosphere of emphasizing science and light literature.
As a Chinese, due to the characteristics of "attaching importance to science and engineering" and "attaching importance to mathematical skills" rooted in national culture, Chinese children have the opportunity to surpass Australian children in mathematics and science, and there will be more opportunities to enter famous schools and famous enterprises in the future.
epilogue
Struggling with the two completely different educational concepts in China and Australia, Chinese parents in Australia may be the most entangled parent group.
On the one hand, in order to escape the "inner volume" of China, we bring our children to Australia to receive a more relaxed education;
On the other hand, we are worried that completely following the Australian education model will eventually ruin the children, so we have embarked on the model of exam-oriented education such as cram schools and sea tactics.
In fact, how to look at Australia's poor mathematical level, serious backwardness in China, how to look at Australia's "backward" basic education and other issues, depends on your mind, what is education?