Weapons of math instruction

Shanghai's education authorities have begun drafting a program to recruit math teachers from the city's schools to teach in the UK at the invitation of the UK Department for Education, sources with the city's education commission told the Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday.

The invitation came earlier this month after British Education and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss made a visit to Shanghai for a first-hand look at math classes and teaching methods in February.

A Shanghai education official, who declined to be named, told Xinhua that the municipal education commission is researching details in order to finalize the program plan in April. The details include teachers' salaries, recruitment requirements and the terms of the guest teaching process.

Shanghai students topped the rankings for reading, math and science in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) administers every three years, according to the OECD report on the 2012 PISA. The UK ranked 26th on the test's math section, but some experts later questioned the validity of comparing cities to entire countries.

While the UK education department felt enthusiastic about seeking help from their Chinese counterparts, some UK scholars and parents have expressed doubts.

Teaching hubs

A total of 60 math teachers from China will arrive in the UK in fall, an official from the UK department of education in charge of training and teaching said.

The official also said that the country will set up 30 math hubs partnering with schools, with two Chinese teachers teaching in each center. Those Chinese teachers will give training to their UK counterparts, including in-class teaching skills, one-on-one tutoring for those falling behind and assigning homework.

Each hub will also have two UK teachers visit China and learn the "advanced" math education methods from Chinese schools, the official said.

This program by the UK education department is aimed at improving the UK students' math scores, which tend to be lower than those of the Shanghai students, the official said.

During Truss' trip, which was also part of the UK government's math improvement program, the delegation was impressed by the Chinese children's fast arithmetic skills and the lively classroom atmosphere.

The key point Truss said she felt like impressing upon children and parents in the UK is how important mathematics is to the future of these students.

Math teachers from China are set to bring recommendations for the UK teaching model, as Chinese schools focus on applied mathematics in basic education, the delegation said.