maths snapshots: international comparisons and maths...

Snapshotsmaths

DECEMBER 2014

•Ensureinternationalcomparisonsinpolicydevelopmentareinformedbyevidence-basedresearchandexpertanalysis.

•Establishtransparencyandcoherenceinthewaypoliciesareimported,adaptedandimplemented.

Internationalcomparisonsandmathseducation

Internationalcomparisonsofferopportunitiestolearnfromothers.

• Mediaandpoliticalfocusoninternationalleaguetablesisputtingmathseducationinthespotlight.Leaguetablesdonotgivethefullpictureaboutacountry’seducationsystem.

• Careshouldbetakenwhenlookingatinternationalcomparisonsandwhenusingtheminpolicymaking.

• Nationalmodelsofeducationneedtobedevelopedholisticallywithintheirsocialandculturalcontext.

Wherearewenow?

England’smathsperformanceisrankeddifferentlybydifferenttypesofindex.

•Twointernationalsurveysmeasuremathematicsattainment:TrendsinInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudy(TIMSS)andtheProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA).

•TIMSSassessesunderstandingofcorecurriculumcontent,whilstPISAassessestheapplicationofknowledgetoreal-lifeproblems.

•ResultsfromTIMSSandPISAgivedifferentmessagesaboutstudents’performance.(1)

Thereismuchmediaandpoliticalattentiononinternationaleducationpolicies.

•England’smathematicsperformanceisoftenportrayedasbelowpar.

•Differentcountriesaredrawnonforinspiration.CurrentlythereismuchattentiononthepoliciesandpracticesinAsianPacificRimcountries.(2)

•Policiesthatareconsideredsuccessfulrelatetoteacherqualityandsubjectspecialism(Japan,Singapore;Shanghai),problem-solvingpedagogy(Japan),strongprofessionaldevelopment(Singapore),andmixedabilitymodels(SouthKorea,Japan).(3,4,5)

TheGovernmenthaslookedabroadtoinformitspoliciesonmathseducationreform.

•Forexample,in2014,anationalnetworkofMathsHubswassetupwiththegoalofraisingstandardstomatchthoseachievedinhigh-performingEastAsiancountries,suchasChina,JapanandSingapore.TheShanghaiTeacherExchangeprogrammeismanagedthroughtheMathsHubsprogramme.60mathsteachersfromShanghairunmasterclassessothatlocalschoolscan“learnfromworld-classteachingapproaches”.(6)

•TheDepartmentforEducationnotedthatitlookedtoSingaporeandHongKongtoreformEngland’sprimarycurriculum.Thebreadthofsubjectknowledgeinthemathscurriculumhasbeenextendedwiththeaimofmatchinginternationalstandards.(7)

Whatarethechallenges?

Internationalmodelsofeducationarecomplexanditisdifficulttounderstandallelements.

•Positionsininternationalleaguetablesareuseful,buttheyonlygivelimitedinsighttounderstandingthequalityofaneducationsystemandthesuccessofitspolicies.

•Modelsofeducationareconstantlyevolving.SouthKorea,SingaporeandFinlandacknowledgethat,despitetheirhighrankingsininternationaltables,theirmathematicseducationpracticesstillrequireimprovement.(5)

•Policyeffectivenessisstronglylinkedtoacountry’shistorical,cultural,social,politicalandeconomiccontext.Thecausesofhighperformanceareverydifficulttoidentify.Cultureandlearnerattitudesarelikelytobeimportantfactors.(5)

Educationpolicysystemsarecomplex.

•Policiesineducationareinterdependent.Achangeinonepolicycanhaveunexpectedeffectselsewhereinthesystem.Someunintendedeffectsmaytakeyearstoemerge.

•Forexample,curriculumreformthataimstomatchinternationalstandardswillalsorequireotherpolicies,suchasteachereducationandprofessionaldevelopment,tobesuccessful.Transferringonepolicywithoutmakingstructuralchangescanbeproblematic.

•Understandinginteractionsandinterdependenciesineducationpolicyischallenging,particularlywithinshortpoliticaltimescales.(SeeMathsSnapshot:Mathseducationpolicy.)

Whatneedstohappen?

1.Useofinternationalcomparisonsinpolicydevelopmentmustbeunderpinnedbyexpertanalysisandresearch.

•Aworld-classmathseducationcanbedevelopedbyincorporatingideasfrommanyplacesintheworld.However,therearenoeasysolutionsandideasthatworkelsewheremaynotworkhere.

•Togainanunderstandingofthelocalcontextandtheimplicationsofadoptingnewpractices,academicandpolicyexpertsshouldworkwithpolicymakersbeforeconclusionsfrominternationalcomparisonsaredrawnandusedtoinformpolicydevelopments.

2.Adoptionandimplementationofpolicyideasshouldbewell-designed,transparentandcoherent.

•Expertdesignandtriallingisnecessarytounderstandwhetheraborrowedpolicywillworkinanewcontext,toseehowanewpolicyinteractswithotherpoliciesandtounderstandpotentialeffectsthatthismighthaveonthesystem.

•Developmentsmustbeplannedwitharealisticbudgetandgivensufficienttime.Thereneedstobetransparencyandengagementwithallstakeholdersthroughoutthisprocess.

1.http://www.ioe.ac.uk/Study_Departments/J_Jerrim_qsswp1109.pdf2.http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf3.http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/153113-using-international-comparisons-to-refine-the-national-curriculum-tim-oates.pdf

4.http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct08/vol66/num02/Learning_from_World-Class_Schools.aspx

5.http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Values_and_Variables_Nuffield_Foundation_v__web_FINAL.pdf

6.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288817/DRAFT_Maths_hubs_guidance_doc_v10.pdf

7.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184064/DFE-RR178.pdf

Forfurtherinformationaboutthe

AdvisoryCommitteeonMathematicsEducation:

Tel:+44(0)2074512588email:acme@royalsociety.org

www.acme-uk.org @ACMEmaths

TheTrendsinInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudy(TIMSS)isaseriesofinternationalassessmentsofthemathematicsandscienceknowledgeofstudentsaged9-10and13-14.Ithasbeencarriedoutevery4yearssince1995.

TheProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA)aimstoevaluateeducationsystemsworldwidebytesting15yearolds.Testshavebeencarriedouteverythreeyearssince2000andaredesignedtoassesstostudents’applicationofknowledgetoreal-lifesituations.