Learning Maths: Using the Asian Way

Having left school, decades ago, with not very good grades in maths, I wonder whether I would have been better, from using the magic of the Asian way. But that's long before we started comparing GCE scores between the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore and more recently China. In those days as long as we passed English, Maths and Science 'O' levels and had three 'A' levels of any discipline (I did art, biology and geography) we would enter any Commonwealth University. 

Leap forward more than 50 years, it's a different story. So is that why the UK government is providing £41million for the funding for primary schools interested in pursuing the Asian methods of teaching maths. The UK department for education says the mastery methods involve students learning as a whole class, supported by high quality text books. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualize abstract concepts, numbers and symbols. 700 teachers are to be changed to support maths mastery in schools. Later, hubs of 35 school-led centres of excellence in maths teaching will expand the concept. Students who are poor in maths will benefit from specialist teachers help and quality text books.

 As a right 'brainer' with good artistic and visual spatial ability, I wish this system would have been in place in my primary school. I had to have private tuition in maths, to be able to get into a good secondary school and pass the common entrance exam. In those days we were ashamed to admit we needed private tuition. Now, in places like Malaysia and Hong Kong, almost all students enroll in private tuition, provided their parents can afford it. It has become a lucrative and thriving industry. Even school teachers take up tuition part- time, in order to supplement the relatively low salaries paid in Malaysian government schools. By contrast, Singapore teachers are paid better, and in the UK, senior teachers and school principals are paid very well. And, in general, class sizes are smaller in the UK. 

But despite this, professional school teacher’s training and development is still vital for their increase in expertise. It is also important to promote the use of initiatives to attract bright and enthusiastic teachers. In the UK, teaching is still considered a noble profession, leading to a good career. In fact, the number of maths teachers recruited is at an all-time high. Bursaries and scholarships for post graduate teachers in maths who need a 2.2 basic degree can receive up to UKP25,000. 

What worries me, is that many effective accelerated learning techniques are yet to enter into the mainstream teacher education syllabus. Admittedly we do now find that Gardner's multiple intelligences model is becoming more widely recognized, as well the use of learning styles assessment among students. But these preferred styles of learning at primary school, can differ slightly after puberty, due to the maturation of the corpus callosum (that massive web of nerve fibres that  connect the two hemispheres of the brain).

Once students are in secondary school, their abilities to speed up the iteration between our left and right brain, can greatly enhance several aspects of learning, such as abstract conceptual thinking. Also the translation of Chinese language,  which is, symbolic, graphic and visual, into English. Or, the integration of 60 beat music and learning maths concepts and how the two brain hemispheres work in harmony, rather than conflict. Therefore learning styles introduced before and after puberty may differ. But alas, many teachers use the same interpretation of learning style preferences for all ages.

However, some believe that learning styles alone is not the magic bullet, and other factors are also important. These include previously learned knowledge, the motivation to lean or the complexity of the skills, as well as the learning environment. Then there is the pace or pressure and stress of the learning, or how much fun there is in the process. In other words, is the environment conducive and are we enjoying the process with a positive perception, that the outcomes will be beneficial and rewarding.

How many of the above factors are considered in the learning design and the teaching of maths in the Asian methods. I would like to refer you to an excellent article by Peter Kline (author of the Everyday Genius) that appears in a recent issue of the International Journal of Inter-Disciplinary Learning. This can be downloaded from the Cambridge Global Learning (UK) website:www.cambridgegl.co.uk. Peter tells a great story on teaching algebra, which was my worst nightmare in ‘O’ level maths. I wish he had been my maths teacher back then. Or, would I have faired better using the Asian methods. Who knows!