How do exemplary Chinese and U.S. mathematics teachers view instructional coherence?

Cai, Jinfa; Ding, Meixia; Tao, Wang

doi:10.1007/s10649-013-9513-3

Cited by 45 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This attention paid to teaching is also reflected in the detailed lesson plans Chinese mathematics teachers make Wang 2010, Li et al 2009), and the fact that the CATs were used as an additional resource for the teachers in refining their pre-arranged lesson plans. This echoes the finding of Cai et al (2014) that Chinese primary mathematics teachers emphasized the design of teaching sequences and questioning based on the study of textbooks and students before teaching. Based on the experiences from our study, we think that an important reason for the teachers not to use the information gained from the CATs to adapt their following lessons is that the teachers gave the highest priority to finishing their already prepared teaching plans.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Teachers’ use of classroom assessment techniques in primary mathematics education—an explorative study with six Chinese teachers

2016

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Background: This paper reports on the use of classroom assessment techniques (CATs) by primary school mathematics teachers in China. CATs are short, focused assessment activities that can reveal students' understanding of specific mathematical subjects. The study involved six female third-grade mathematics teachers from Nanjing, China. The focus was on assessing division. Data were collected by teacher interviews, feedback forms and final reports, lesson observations, and student work. Results: The study revealed that the teachers could easily include CATs in their daily practice. By conducting the CATs, the teachers got new information about their students' learning. Most teachers liked using the CATs, especially those with the red/green cards, which is a whole-classroom immediate response format, providing quick information of the students' learning. The teachers also found the CATs feasible to conduct and helpful to engage their students during the lesson. However, no evidence was found that they used the information gained from the CATs for adapting their instruction to meet the students' needs in subsequent lessons. In fact, the teachers only used the teacher guide of the CATs to adapt their instruction beforehand. The CATs, instead of being implemented as assessment activities, were often included as extra exercises in the pre-arranged lesson plans of the teachers. If necessary, the teachers provided their students with instant help in order to assist them to get the correct answers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Teachers’ use of classroom assessment techniques in primary mathematics education—an explorative study with six Chinese teachers

2016

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“…Although clear evidence demonstrates the importance of understanding students' thinking for effective teaching (e.g., Beswick, 2008;Cai, Ding, & Wang, 2014;Cai, Kaiser, Perry, & Wong, 2009;Confrey, 1990;Davis, 1997;Thompson, 2002), there is limited research on how teachers acquire their understanding of students' mathematical thinking. Rather, greater attention seems to have been paid to in-class teaching.…”

Section: Understanding Students' Thinking Before During and After Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Students’ Mathematical Thinking for Effective Teaching: A Comparison between Expert and Nonexpert Chinese Elementary Mathematics Teachers

Zhu

Cai³

2017

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

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It is widely believed that teachers' knowledge of students' thinking has a significant impact on teachers' teaching and students' learning. However, there is far less research on how teachers acquire their knowledge of students' thinking before, during, and after lessons. This study is designed to compare the differences between expert and nonexpert mathematics teachers on their behaviors and perceptions related to understanding students' mathematical thinking. Based on 554 Chinese elementary mathematics teachers' responses to a survey, the study found that teachers took actions to understand students' thinking more often when students were learning new topics or encountering difficulties, and they were more likely to do so before lessons than during or after lessons. The comparison revealed that significantly more expert elementary mathematics teachers attempted to understand students' thinking from a variety of perspectives before making the necessary adjustments to their predetermined teaching plans than did nonexpert teachers. Significantly more expert teachers also relied on their own teaching experiences to understand students' thinking. In contrast, significantly more nonexpert teachers claimed that they did not rely on prior teaching experiences because they "did not know how to."

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“…Contrasting in scale to TIMSS and PISA, there are a number of relatively small-scale international comparative studies (e.g., Cai 1995Cai , 2005Cai et al 2014;Ma 1999;Silver et al 1995;Song and Ginsburg 1987;Stevenson et al 1990;Stigler et al 1990). Over 20 years ago, Bradburn and Gilford (1990) suggested that for small in-depth cross-national studies, relatively small and localized samples in a small number of sites are acceptable.…”

Section: Unique Findings From Small Scale Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The student then gave the whole number quotient (2) as the answer. Cai and Ding 2015;Cai et al 2014;Cai and Wang 2010). Given the fact that simple comparisons of international rankings provide little guidance for understanding and improving students' mathematics learning, it is important to understand international performance differences by other means.…”

Section: Convincing Argumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

International Comparative Studies in Mathematics: Lessons for Improving Students’ Learning

Cai

Mok

Reddy

et al. 2016

International Comparative Studies in Mathematics

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How do exemplary Chinese and U.S. mathematics teachers view instructional coherence?

Cited by 45 publications

References 20 publications

Teachers’ use of classroom assessment techniques in primary mathematics education—an explorative study with six Chinese teachers

Teachers’ use of classroom assessment techniques in primary mathematics education—an explorative study with six Chinese teachers

Understanding Students’ Mathematical Thinking for Effective Teaching: A Comparison between Expert and Nonexpert Chinese Elementary Mathematics Teachers

International Comparative Studies in Mathematics: Lessons for Improving Students’ Learning

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