Primary Schools in England to Turn to Chinese Maths Style

Half of primary schools in the UK will soon adopt the traditional Chinese method of teaching mathematics. Teachers will be specially trained and given new textbooks to teach the “Shanghai maths” method. The new teaching style will rely heavily on repetition, drills and “chalk and talk”. Previous tests have shown that the average mathematics ability of 15-year-old students in Shanghai is three years more sophisticated than that of 15-year-old students in the UK. Nick Gibb, the Minister of State at the Department of Education, has announced that training will be provided for 8,000 primary schools, half the country’s total, to turn to the Shanghai teaching style. “We are seeing a renaissance in maths teaching in this country, with good ideas from around the world helping to enliven our classrooms,” he said. However, some people are worried about the new program, saying that the reform would lead to confusion, and could even stop children from learning the basics and enjoying the subject. Mike Ellicock, chief executive of National Numeracy in the UK, said, “It is necessary for children to learn the basics of maths so that they can be confident about the subject, and repetition and drills aren’t the right way to achieve that.” He believes that it is inappropriate to simply import a teaching method from such a different culture.