Mathematics Curriculum in Pacific Rim Countries - China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore

Proceedings of a Conference

Edited by:
Zalman Usiskin, The University of Chicago
Edwin Willmore, The University of Chicago

A volume in the series: Research in Mathematics Education. Editor(s): Denisse R Thompson, University of South Florida. Mary Ann Huntley, Cornell University. Christine Suurtamm, University of Ottawa.

Published 2008

This volume contains the proceedings of the First International Curriculum Conference sponsored by the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum (CSMC). The CSMC is one of the National Science Foundation Centers for Learning and Teaching (Award No. ESI-0333879). The countries—China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore (in alphabetical order, which also happens to be the order of their populations)—have each been in the news because of their performance on international testsand/or their economic performance and potential. They also have centralized education ministries that create a single mathematics curriculum framework followed in the entire country. In all these countries, curricula are differentiated for students with different interests, usually around Grade 10 or 11. We think the reader will agree that the papers are of very high quality, befitting the standing of the individuals who were invited, but particularly notable for our international speakers because in three of these countries, English is not the speaker’s first language. Following each paper, we have included a short biography of the author(s), so that the reader can understand the perspective of the paper’s author.

CONTENTS
Preface. Introductions. Education Ministry Perspectives on Mathematics Curriculum, Shigeo Yoshikawa. An Overview of Mathematics Education in Singapore, Soh Cheow Kian. Some Characteristics of the Korean National Curriculum and Its Revision Process, Hee-Chan Lew. Mathematics Curriculum Standard of China: Its Process, Strategies, Outcomes and Difficulties, Sun Xiaotian. Sixty Years of Mathematics Syllabi and Textbooks in Singapore (1945-2005), Peng Yee Lee. Design and Implementation of Korean Mathematics Textbooks, JeongSuk Pang. Curriculum Development in China: Perspectives From Curriculum Design and Implementation, Jun Li. Innovations Bringing Degeneration: A Lesson From Historical Analysis of the Revisions of the National Curriculum Standards for Upper Secondary School Math in Japan After World War II, Ryosuke Nagaoka. Some Highlights of the Similarities and Differences in Intended, Planned/Implemented, and Achieved Curricula Between China and the United States, Jinfa Cai. Transforming Curriculum from Intended to Implemented: What Teachers Need to Do and What They Learned in the United States and China, Yeping Li. Translating Elementary School Mathematics Curriculum: Isn’t School Mathematics Universal? Tad Watanabe. A Look at Japanese Junior High School Mathematics Textbooks, Blake E. Peterson. Exploring Korean Primary Mathematics, Janice Grow-Maienza and Susan Beal. Comparing Elementary Mathematics Curricula of Korea and the United States, Insook Chung. Singapore Math: Can It Help Close the U.S. Mathematics Learning Gap? Alan Ginsburg and Steven Leinwand. Singapore Math: Perspectives and Experiences of a College Professor, Richard Bisk. Calculator and Computer Technology in the K–12 Curriculum: Some Observations From a U.S. Perspective, M. Kathleen Heid. The Status of Calculator Technology in United States K–8 Mathematics Curriculum: It Depends On How You Look At It, Kathryn B. Chval. Mathematics Assessments: Do They Tell Us the Same Thing, William H. Schmidt. Some Impacts of Testing on Mathematics Curriculum From K–12: Perspectives, Chris Cox. Moving Beyond Myths to Foster International Collaboration: International Conference a Step in the Right Direction, Diane L. Moore, Jill Newton, and Dawn Teuscher. Reflections on Assessment, Angela D. Sutter, Dana C. Cox, and Karen L. Fonkert. Afterword, Zalman Usiskin.