maths snapshots: international comparisons and maths...
TRANSCRIPT
Snapshotsmaths
DECEMBER 2014
•Ensureinternationalcomparisonsinpolicydevelopmentareinformedbyevidence-basedresearchandexpertanalysis.
•Establishtransparencyandcoherenceinthewaypoliciesareimported,adaptedandimplemented.
Internationalcomparisonsandmathseducation
Internationalcomparisonsofferopportunitiestolearnfromothers.
• Mediaandpoliticalfocusoninternationalleaguetablesisputtingmathseducationinthespotlight.Leaguetablesdonotgivethefullpictureaboutacountry’seducationsystem.
• Careshouldbetakenwhenlookingatinternationalcomparisonsandwhenusingtheminpolicymaking.
• Nationalmodelsofeducationneedtobedevelopedholisticallywithintheirsocialandculturalcontext.
Wherearewenow?
England’smathsperformanceisrankeddifferentlybydifferenttypesofindex.
•Twointernationalsurveysmeasuremathematicsattainment:TrendsinInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudy(TIMSS)andtheProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA).
•TIMSSassessesunderstandingofcorecurriculumcontent,whilstPISAassessestheapplicationofknowledgetoreal-lifeproblems.
•ResultsfromTIMSSandPISAgivedifferentmessagesaboutstudents’performance.(1)
Thereismuchmediaandpoliticalattentiononinternationaleducationpolicies.
•England’smathematicsperformanceisoftenportrayedasbelowpar.
•Differentcountriesaredrawnonforinspiration.CurrentlythereismuchattentiononthepoliciesandpracticesinAsianPacificRimcountries.(2)
•Policiesthatareconsideredsuccessfulrelatetoteacherqualityandsubjectspecialism(Japan,Singapore;Shanghai),problem-solvingpedagogy(Japan),strongprofessionaldevelopment(Singapore),andmixedabilitymodels(SouthKorea,Japan).(3,4,5)
TheGovernmenthaslookedabroadtoinformitspoliciesonmathseducationreform.
•Forexample,in2014,anationalnetworkofMathsHubswassetupwiththegoalofraisingstandardstomatchthoseachievedinhigh-performingEastAsiancountries,suchasChina,JapanandSingapore.TheShanghaiTeacherExchangeprogrammeismanagedthroughtheMathsHubsprogramme.60mathsteachersfromShanghairunmasterclassessothatlocalschoolscan“learnfromworld-classteachingapproaches”.(6)
•TheDepartmentforEducationnotedthatitlookedtoSingaporeandHongKongtoreformEngland’sprimarycurriculum.Thebreadthofsubjectknowledgeinthemathscurriculumhasbeenextendedwiththeaimofmatchinginternationalstandards.(7)
Whatarethechallenges?
Internationalmodelsofeducationarecomplexanditisdifficulttounderstandallelements.
•Positionsininternationalleaguetablesareuseful,buttheyonlygivelimitedinsighttounderstandingthequalityofaneducationsystemandthesuccessofitspolicies.
•Modelsofeducationareconstantlyevolving.SouthKorea,SingaporeandFinlandacknowledgethat,despitetheirhighrankingsininternationaltables,theirmathematicseducationpracticesstillrequireimprovement.(5)
•Policyeffectivenessisstronglylinkedtoacountry’shistorical,cultural,social,politicalandeconomiccontext.Thecausesofhighperformanceareverydifficulttoidentify.Cultureandlearnerattitudesarelikelytobeimportantfactors.(5)
Educationpolicysystemsarecomplex.
•Policiesineducationareinterdependent.Achangeinonepolicycanhaveunexpectedeffectselsewhereinthesystem.Someunintendedeffectsmaytakeyearstoemerge.
•Forexample,curriculumreformthataimstomatchinternationalstandardswillalsorequireotherpolicies,suchasteachereducationandprofessionaldevelopment,tobesuccessful.Transferringonepolicywithoutmakingstructuralchangescanbeproblematic.
•Understandinginteractionsandinterdependenciesineducationpolicyischallenging,particularlywithinshortpoliticaltimescales.(SeeMathsSnapshot:Mathseducationpolicy.)
Whatneedstohappen?
1.Useofinternationalcomparisonsinpolicydevelopmentmustbeunderpinnedbyexpertanalysisandresearch.
•Aworld-classmathseducationcanbedevelopedbyincorporatingideasfrommanyplacesintheworld.However,therearenoeasysolutionsandideasthatworkelsewheremaynotworkhere.
•Togainanunderstandingofthelocalcontextandtheimplicationsofadoptingnewpractices,academicandpolicyexpertsshouldworkwithpolicymakersbeforeconclusionsfrominternationalcomparisonsaredrawnandusedtoinformpolicydevelopments.
2.Adoptionandimplementationofpolicyideasshouldbewell-designed,transparentandcoherent.
•Expertdesignandtriallingisnecessarytounderstandwhetheraborrowedpolicywillworkinanewcontext,toseehowanewpolicyinteractswithotherpoliciesandtounderstandpotentialeffectsthatthismighthaveonthesystem.
•Developmentsmustbeplannedwitharealisticbudgetandgivensufficienttime.Thereneedstobetransparencyandengagementwithallstakeholdersthroughoutthisprocess.
1.http://www.ioe.ac.uk/Study_Departments/J_Jerrim_qsswp1109.pdf2.http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf3.http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/153113-using-international-comparisons-to-refine-the-national-curriculum-tim-oates.pdf
4.http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct08/vol66/num02/Learning_from_World-Class_Schools.aspx
5.http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Values_and_Variables_Nuffield_Foundation_v__web_FINAL.pdf
6.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288817/DRAFT_Maths_hubs_guidance_doc_v10.pdf
7.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184064/DFE-RR178.pdf
Forfurtherinformationaboutthe
AdvisoryCommitteeonMathematicsEducation:
Tel:+44(0)2074512588email:[email protected]
www.acme-uk.org @ACMEmaths
TheTrendsinInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudy(TIMSS)isaseriesofinternationalassessmentsofthemathematicsandscienceknowledgeofstudentsaged9-10and13-14.Ithasbeencarriedoutevery4yearssince1995.
TheProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA)aimstoevaluateeducationsystemsworldwidebytesting15yearolds.Testshavebeencarriedouteverythreeyearssince2000andaredesignedtoassesstostudents’applicationofknowledgetoreal-lifesituations.