The Polished Stones

Reference:

Stevenson, H. W., Lee, Shin-Ying, Stigler, J. W. (1986). Mathematics achievement of Chinese, Japanese, and American Children. Science, 231, 693-699.

Orientation:

There are scattered observations about schools in Asia. Most of these reports reflect negatively on Asian attitudes toward childhood and educational practice. For example, how many of these statements ring familiar to you?

Japanese children are under more stress and more likely to commit suicide than children in western schools.
There is more emphasis on drill and less emphasis on creative problem solving in Chinese classrooms.
Loaded with 40-50 students, Asian teachers rigidly maintain classroom decorum.
Only the best Asian students receive advanced curricula.
When Asian countries report test results, they have selected results from the top schools in their districts.
Scholastic performance of young Chinese and Japanese children is due in part to outside tutoring.

In 1980 Harold Stevenson and his colleagues began data collection on the largest comparative study of elementary education in Asian and western culture. Their methods were selected with care. For example, a team of bilingual researchers from each culture constructed tests that reflected common topics in the textbooks of all three countries. Questions were not asked if the material did not appear in the curricula. The tests were judged to be linguistically clear, interesting, and free from cultural bias by all of the bilingual psychometricians. There was random sampling of students from major cities.

The results of this careful study have blown away several myths about mathematics preparation. The Polished Stones is a 33 minute videotape that summarizes some of this research. It is directed to the audiences who are interested in educational programming and has been shown to parent's groups, teachers, and school board administrators.

What to look for:

Differences in curricula:

Both cities in Asia have a central education policy.
The Asian students spend about 240 days per year in school; in the US the figure is 180.
By Grade 5 math is studied 8-12 hours per week in Asia; in the US the figure is 4-5.
There is no spiral curricula in Asia; the emphasis is on continuity of topics.
Classes last 40-50 min, then there is 10-15 min of vigorous play in Asian school grounds.
The range of individual differences is as great in Asia as it is in the US, but tracking does not occur in Asian schools.

Differences in teaching:

There are 40-50 students per class in Asian elementary schools.
Children stay with a teacher over 2-3 years in Asian elementary schools.
In Japan 80% of class time is devoted to teacher-led instruction; in the US the figure is 50%.
Asian elementary school classrooms seem to be characterized by involvement and enthusiasm; stress is more evident in secondary schools.
Asian classrooms are interactive, involving 1) carefully scripted lessons 2) constructive use of student errors 3) real-world problems translated into symbolic manipulations 4) consideration of multiple approaches to a problem.
Group instruction is the mode in Asian classrooms; all children are called upon. Children must justify their reasoning
Asian teachers spend 40% of their time away from the classroom. This time is used for lesson preparation. The time away results in a lively style.
Asian teachers are models for each other and consultation with experts is frequent.

Asian cultural values:

Confucian belief that people are shaped by everyday life.
All children can learn, but the slow bird must start early.
Deep respect for teachers and the enterprise of learning.
Errors are used as an indication of a need, not a failure.

Asian home practices:

The child's record reflects on the parents.
Each child has a desk in the home. Personal math libraries are not uncommon.
There is an emphasis on effort and building confidence.
Less than 5% of the elementary school children attend after school classes in math.
A communication notebook goes back and forth between home and school.