Understanding China’s curriculum reform for the 21st century

Law, Wing‐Wah

doi:10.1080/00220272.2014.883431

Cited by 74 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Although educational departments designed a range of teaching materials and teacher training programs to support the implementation of curriculum reform, these are far from satisfying the diverse demands of 11,595,664 teachers (Ministry of Education, 2013) all over mainland China. Thus, insufficient support and teacher training left mathematics teachers a lack of knowledge and confidence or even a feeling of strong resistance to implement reform-based instructions (Law, 2014). As documented by Li and Ni (2011), compared with the conventional classrooms, changes in the nature of classroom discourse were not prominent in the so-called reform mathematics classrooms, although the utilisation of reform-based textbooks is mandatory in these classrooms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Pedagogical Tensions in Teacher’s Questioning Practices in the Mathematics Classroom: A Case in Mainland China

Dong

Seah

Clarke

2017

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

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During the last decades, curriculum reform has been implemented in mainland China to emphasize classroom interaction in mathematics teaching and learning. The intention to create more chances for classroom interaction in large-size classrooms has led to the introduction of self-learning guide which allows students to go through the learning contents before the classroom learning. This study investigates the pedagogical tensions emerging in a mainland Chinese mathematics teacher's practices of using self-learning guide to reform classroom questioning. The analytical entry point is the examination of the IRF (Initiation/Response/Follow-up) structures evident in the reform-based mathematics classroom interactions. The results show that, by using various reform-based questioning strategies, students were given adequate opportunities to present and share their mathematical thinking and ideas. The nature of the pedagogical tensions has shifted from imbalance of time allocation for classroom discussion and lecturing to imbalance of opportunities for guided classroom discussion and elaborated classroom discussion.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Pedagogical Tensions in Teacher’s Questioning Practices in the Mathematics Classroom: A Case in Mainland China

Dong

Seah

Clarke

2017

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

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“…These reforms are designed to help China move away from knowledge transmission and repetitive rote-like learning (Jin & Cortazzi, 2006), which are considered to be detrimental to the nation as a whole, towards student-centred learning (Cheng, 2010). Curriculum reform is also China's "main human capital development strategy for coping with the challenges of the 21st century" (Law, 2014; -see also Koh, 2010 for a similar argument vis-a-vis Singapore) the outcome of which is "Zhuanye Waiyu Fuhexing Rencai" (human resources who possess both knowledge in specialised areas and strong competence in a foreign language-translation from Feng, 2007, p. 16). Shanghai's continuing success in the 2012 round of PISA (The Program for International Student Assessment) tests could be considered as a testament to the curriculum reform's success.…”

Section: Education Reform In Chinamentioning

confidence: 97%

‘Complex teaching realities’ and ‘deep rooted cultural traditions’: Barriers to the implementation and internalisation of formative assessment in China

Poole

2016

Cogent Education

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This article forms the first part of an Action Research project designed to incorporate formative assessment into the culture of learning of a bilingual school in Shanghai, China. It synthesises the empirical literature on formative assessment in China to establish some of the difficulties that teachers have faced in trying to incorporate this approach into their teaching. Some of the barriers include student and teacher resistance and notions of face (mianzi) which are also related to deeply held cultural scripts for teaching and learning that emphasise knowledge transmission and respect for the teacher. The article then explores some of the bottom-up solutions that have been suggested by researchers, such as collaborative dialogue, professional development and international perspectives. These suggestions provide a jumping-off point for offering intercultural communicative competence as a concept and a method that could be effective in ameliorating cultural discontinuities. Throughout, I show how the difficulties and solutions highlighted by empirical research relate to my own teaching context. Although intercultural communicative competence is not new to China, its application to the internalisation of borrowed policies that include formative assessment has yet to be explored.

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“…Since the 1978 Open Door policy, the Chinese government has made several nationwide school curriculum reforms to help students cope with domestic social changes and global challenges, and to enhance China's manpower quality and capacity for international competition (Law, 2014). To reduce barriers caused by traditional pedagogy and low educational quality, the Ministry of Education (MoE) proposed two related pedagogical changesfrom teacher-centric to student-centric teaching, and from rote to inquiry-based learning (MoE, 2001a).…”

Section: National Aspirations For Pedagogical Changes Embedded In Curmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students' examination performance can affect different stakeholders' intertwined interests, including career prospects (Law, 2014). Higher scores improve students' chances of entering a good, public senior secondary school, and save their parents from paying higher private school tuitions or illegal sponsorship fees (up to RMB50,000 per student).…”

Section: Continuing Influences Of Examination Culture On Teaching Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social change and teaching and learning citizenship education: An empirical study of three schools in Guangzhou, China

Law

Xu²

2017

Citizenship Teaching &Amp; Learning

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Since the 1980s, China has increased its openness to the world and made tremendous domestic economic and social changes. This study investigates the relationship between social change and pedagogies in citizenship education (CE) and to what extent indoctrination is prevalent in CE in schools in Guangzhou, China. Data were drawn mainly from documents, student questionnaires, observed CE lessons, and interviews with students and CE teachers. Findings revealed the coexistence of various CE pedagogies (e.g., inculcation; values clarification; inquiry-based); perceived open and free classrooms in which students expressed and respected diverse views; rote learning for examination, not political, purposes; and teachers' tension between reluctantly teaching politically-sensitive topics and promoting multiple perspectives to foster critical thinking. These findings may reflect the complex interplay among different actors in the reselection of CE elements and pedagogies, in response to China's gradual, post-1980s social transition to a less restrictive, more accommodating society.

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Understanding China’s curriculum reform for the 21st century

Cited by 74 publications

References 28 publications

Pedagogical Tensions in Teacher’s Questioning Practices in the Mathematics Classroom: A Case in Mainland China

Pedagogical Tensions in Teacher’s Questioning Practices in the Mathematics Classroom: A Case in Mainland China

‘Complex teaching realities’ and ‘deep rooted cultural traditions’: Barriers to the implementation and internalisation of formative assessment in China

Social change and teaching and learning citizenship education: An empirical study of three schools in Guangzhou, China

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