Curriculum traditions in Berlin and Hong Kong: a comparative case study of the implemented mathematics curriculum

Abstract

have revealed that there is a strong dependence on cultural traditions in mathematics teaching in different countries. Education in Germany is influenced by the Central and North European Didaktik tradition (Westbury in Teaching as a reflective practice: the German Didaktik tradition, L. Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp. 15-39, 2000), while that in East Asia is influenced by Confucian heritage culture. However, there have not been studies investigating the relationships between these two cultural traditions and their influences on teaching and learning. This study aims at filling this gap in knowledge. Some commonalities in the aims and beliefs in the underlying philosophies in education in traditional China and Germany were found and are presented in this paper. Specifically, the relationship between cultural traditions and the implemented mathematics curriculum was investigated, using Berlin and Hong Kong as examples. It was found that culture affects the implemented curriculum in a complicated way and that other factors such as the intended curriculum and textbooks may also influence the implemented curriculum.

The Complexities of Mathematical Knowledge and Beliefs within Initial Teacher Education: An Analysis of Three Cases

“…Hong Kong, along with other East Asian countries, shares a Confucian-heritage culture that influences the values of the participants in the study. These values are reflected in the five constant virtues of Confucianism: humanity, righteousness, ritual, knowledge, and integrity [44]. They are deeply rooted in collective values [45].…”

Insights from students’ private work in their notebooks: how do students learn from the teacher’s examples?

“…In the case of Hong Kong mathematics classrooms, occasionally, the teacher might select the students' work to show on the board, to show the students' ideas, and to share alternative solutions (Jablonka, 2006). However, for most of the cases in Hong Kong, students' notebooks were often individual and private although there might be limited sharing between students when they talked to their classmates sitting next to them (Lui & Leung, 2013).…”