alt.education

"toto" wrote in message
news:cfsrt3hjiiq07jmr62v5kcd0hlank2kvm8@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:53:15 GMT, "Jerry Beeler"
> wrote:
>
>>I remember attending a session, much later, and they spent a freakin' hour
>>about the use of Algebra Tiles in Algebra II !!!
>
> Jerry, I am not talking about using manipulatives in high school.
> Hopefully, teenagers can think more abstractly than that.
>
> The Singapore Math books, however, are used in the schools in
> Singapore which beat us on the TIMSS tests. Singapore students (and
> Japanese and Chinese students are taught from similar texts).
>
> Once again, have you ever looked at them and what do you think of them
> if you have investigated them?
>
> I found the article again
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-math9mar09,0,1449785.story

In my experience, my students from Japan and China do very well in American
schools.
Conversely, I speculate that the 'typical' American student would not
necessarily do so well in Japanese schools.
Much of the difference seems to be cultural. Asian students have very
involved families that place education first and not down the list of
priorities below sports, cheerleading, motorcycle racing and partying.