Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Exemplary mathematics instruction and its development in selected education systems in East Asia

  • Original Article
  • Published:
ZDM Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

What may teachers do in developing and carrying out exemplary or high-quality mathematics classroom instruction? What can we learn from teachers’ instructional practices that are often culturally valued in different education systems? In this article, we aim to highlight relevant issues that have long been interests of mathematics educators worldwide in identifying and examining teachers’ practices in high-quality mathematics classroom instruction, and outline what articles published herein can help further our understanding of such issues with cases of exemplary mathematics instruction valued in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • An, S., Kulm, G., & Wu, Z. (2004). The pedagogical content knowledge of middle school mathematics teachers in China and the U.S. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 7, 145–172. doi:10.1023/B:JMTE.0000021943.35739.1c.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, J., Kaiser, G., Wong, N. Y., & Perry, R. (Eds.). (2009). Effective mathematics teaching from teachers’ perspectives: National and international studies. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, D., Keitel, C., & Shimizu, Y. (Eds.). (2006). Mathematics classrooms in twelve countries: The insider’s perspective. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan, L., Wang, N., Cai, J., & Li, S. (Eds.). (2004). How Chinese learn mathematics-perspectives from insiders. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, C., & Yoshida, M. (2004). Lesson study: A Japanese approach to improving mathematics teaching and learning. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groves, S. (2009). Exemplary mathematics lessons—A view from the West. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R., Garnier, H., Giwin, K. B., Hollingsworth, H., Jacobs, J., Chui, A. M., Wearne, D., Smith, M., Kersting, N., Manaster, A., Tseng, E., Etterbeek, W., Manaster, C., Gonzales, P., & Stigler, J. (2003). Teaching mathematics in seven countries: Results from the TIMSS 1999 video study. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

  • Huang, R., & Bao, J. (2006). Towards a model for teacher professional development in China: Introducing keli. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 9, 279–298. doi:10.1007/s10857-006-9002-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, R., & Li, Y. (2009). Pursuing excellence in mathematics classroom instruction through exemplary lesson development in China: A case study. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Kaur, B. (2009). Characteristics of good mathematics teaching in Singapore grade eight classrooms: A juxtaposition of teachers’ practice and students’ perceptions. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Krainer, K. (2005). What is “good” mathematics teaching, and how can research inform practice and policy? Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 8, 75–81. doi:10.1007/s10857-005-4766-0 (editorial).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, F. K. S. (2001). In search of an East Asian identity in mathematics education. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 47, 35–51. doi:10.1023/A:1017936429620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, F. K. S., Graf, K., & Lopez-Real, R. (Eds.). (2006). Mathematics education in different cultural traditions: A comparative study of East Asia and the West. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y. (2007). Examining and understanding mathematics classroom instruction and possible contributing factors through a cross-national lens. School Science and Mathematics, 107, 308–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., & Huang, R. (2008). Learning about and from a master mathematics teacher in China. Research Symposium presented at Research Pre-session of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah, 7–9 April, 2008.

  • Li, Y., & Kaiser, G. (Eds.). (2008). RF: Pursuing excellence in mathematics classroom instruction in East Asia. In O. Figueras, J. L. Cortina, S. Alatorre, T. Rojano, & A. Sepúlveda (Eds.), Proceedings of the joint meeting of 32 nd annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education and the 30th annual conference of its North American chapter (Vol. 1, pp. 155–188). Morelia: PME.

  • Li, Y., & Li, J. (2009). Mathematics classroom instruction excellence through the platform of teaching contests. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Lim, C. S., White, A., & Kaur, B. (Eds). (2008). An Asia Pacific focus on mathematics classrooms. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education, 40(6), 913–1034.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, P. J., & Li, Y. (2009). Searching for good mathematics instruction at primary school level valued in Taiwan. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Ma, L. (1999). Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics: Teachers’ understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mok, I. A. C. (2009). In search of an exemplary mathematics lesson in Hong Kong: An algebra lesson on factorization of polynomials. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century. (2000). Before it’s too late. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pang, J. S. (2009). Good mathematics instruction in South Korea. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Perry, M. (2000). Explanations of mathematical concepts in Japanese, Chinese and U.S. first- and fifth-grade classrooms. Cognition and Instruction, 18, 181–207. doi:10.1207/S1532690XCI1802_02.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu, Y. (2009). Characterizing exemplary mathematics instruction in Japanese classrooms from the learner’s perspective. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Silver, E. A. (1998). Improving mathematics in middle school: Lessons from TIMSS and related research. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, H. W., & Lee, S. (1997). The East Asian version of whole-class teaching. In W. K. Cummings & P. G. Altbach (Eds.), The challenge of Eastern Asian education (pp. 33–49). Albany: State University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, J. W., & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap: Best ideas from the world’s teachers for improving education in the classroom. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, J. W., Lee, S.-Y., & Stevenson, H. W. (1987). Mathematics classrooms in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. Child Development, 58, 1272–1285. doi:10.2307/1130620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, J., Wu, D. Y., & Davidson, D. H. (1989). Preschools in three cultures: Japan, China and the United States. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, N. Y. (2004). The CHC learner’s phenomenon: Its implications on mathematics education. In L. Fan, N. Y. Wong, J. Cai, & S. Li (Eds.), How Chinese learn mathematics: Perspectives from insiders (pp. 503–534). Singapore: World Scientific.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, N. Y. (2009). Exemplary mathematics lessons: What lessons we can learn from them? ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

  • Yang, Y. (2009). How a Chinese teacher improved classroom teaching in Teaching Research Group: A case study on Pythagoras theorem teaching in Shanghai. ZDM—The International Journal on Mathematics Education. In this themed issue.

Download references

Acknowledgments

We want to thank all the contributors who worked diligently to meet the preparation and publication timelines. Special thanks go to all reviewers for reading manuscripts and providing valuable comments for improvements. We also want to thank Gabriele Kaiser, the journal editor-in-chief of ZDM, for her strong and consistent support and patience. Working with many colleagues from different education systems has been a very rewarding experience and underscores the international flavor of ZDM.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4232, USA

    Yeping Li

  2. University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Yoshinori Shimizu

Authors
  1. Yeping Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yoshinori Shimizu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yeping Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, Y., Shimizu, Y. Exemplary mathematics instruction and its development in selected education systems in East Asia. ZDM Mathematics Education 41, 257–262 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-009-0179-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-009-0179-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation