A glimpse into Shanghai Maths

This week, Mrs Kuffour and I were invited to go and observe a Maths lesson at Madeley High School.  We were very eager to do this as we always like to know how our former pupils are getting on.  We are always very interested to learn more about secondary school teaching and how we can prepare our pupils for this big change.  However the maths lesson was not an ordinary one.  It was taught in Shanghai style.  Recently a lot of research has been conducted by the government regarding how British schools can learn form the best international practice around the world.  China tops the PISA rankings, which means their pupils are very gifted and confident mathematicians.  

 

At the end of last year Mr Woodfine and Mr Ostrowskil represented the North Midlands and Peak Maths Hub on a visit to Shanghai, where they spent time in both primary and secondary schools observing mathematics teaching and learning about the education system.  Now two teachers from Shanghai are visiting Madeley High School.  Mrs Hua Jiang and Mr Liang Chen are teaching maths to classes in Y7 and Y8.  

 

To begin with we shared a video presentation which provided a fascinating glimpse into school life in Shanghai.  We then observed a lesson, before discussing our observations with colleagues from different schools. 

There were so many differences, many of which reflect the Chinese culture.  Here are just a few of my observations which I believe you will find interesting:

*Secondary schools begin their lessons at 7:30am and Primary schools begin at 8:00am

* In China children do not begin formal schooling until they are 6 (our Y2)

* The smallest class size is 45 pupils.

*Primary schools are usually very large with 1500 pupils

*Children begin their morning with a 30 minute exercise regime, which includes marching in rhythm.  This is repeated for 10 minute periods throughout the day. The exercise keeps their brains alert and helps concentration in lessons.

* All children have homework usually 1 and half hours each night.  Every single child completes this without fail.

*The lessons are very fast paced with questions very quickly becoming increasingly complex.

*Maths is taught by specialist tecahers who are only timetabled for one or 2 lessons per day.  The rest of the day is spent providing reinforcement and support to those pupils who struggled on that particular day. 

 

The visit gave us a wonderful opportunity to share practice from a different country and culture.  It was very thought provoking indeed.

 

Thank you to the high school for inviting us to share in such an exciting professional development opportunity.