Delete comment from: CURMUDGUCATION
I had the opportunity to go to Japan this past summer and see how mathematics is taught there. For one thing, they have a long tradition of using "Lesson Study" to basically do research in the classroom. In Japan you are considered a novice teacher for the first 10 years and there are only about 6 textbook companies whose curricula are very similar. The amount of conversation about the development of mathematical understanding is built from the ground up, rather than from university backwards like we do here. The system is very coherent and their mathematics teaching is predicated on problem solving. What's funny is that much of the research they used to build their philosophies is American research (John Dewey) was quoted by several administrators who spoke to us.
One of the overarching goals there is to give students problems that they are eager to solve. I was very impressed and I wish we had actually adopted some of those systems rather than claiming (Daro will cite Japanese mathematics teaching, but I don't really see that translated into the hear of CCSS) that we do.
Anyway, while there may be noted aspirations to this kind of schooling, there would have to be a will to create that without the testing piece.
Jan 9, 2015, 2:44:19 PM
Posted to Jason Zimba: The Other Guy