Good at Maths - Asia and Australia

From IFLScience

What Is The Secret To Being Good At Maths?  

October 24, 2015 | by Steson Lo and Sally Andrews

photo credit: Why do Asian children perform so well at maths? Creativa Images/Shutterstock

There is a common belief that Asians are naturally gifted at maths.

Asian countries like Singapore and Japan lead the ranks in first and second position on maths performance in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tables – an international survey that ranks education systems worldwide – while Australia sits around 12th.

What is the secret to being good at maths? Are you simply born clever, or is it the result of a lot of hard work?

To understand the reasons behind exceptional maths performance, I travelled to Japan to see how Japanese children are able to instantly multiply three- or four-digit numbers together in their head.

How Children Are Taught Maths In Japan

From the age of 7 or 8, all Japanese children are taught the times table jingle kuku.

“Ku” is the Japanese word for “nine”, and the title reflects the final line of the jingle, which is

Friday Evening meeting

I'm looking forward to seeing  you all Friday evening from 5pm - 8:30pm and then again from 8:30am to 3:30pm on Saturday.

100 Exploration Way

Hampton, VA 23666

My cell:  703-599-3643 

The focus of this weekend's session is to review the variety of STEM Issues and Trends we've begun exploring, and collaboratively address questions, concerns, interests, and impacts within your school setting. We'll also outline your work products for the rest of the semester. 

For Friday discussion, please think of any examples of how you emphasize three things in your curricula:

• Applied mathematics;
• Reading and writing; and 
• Student presentations.

There's no need to prepare anything, but I'll welcome any examples you wish to share during our weekend discussions.

I'm traveling from a STEM meeting in Farmville and may not get there much before 5pm, but make yourself comfortable if you arrive early straight from school.

A challenge

A new discussion has been added on Schoology

A new (third) discussion is available on Schoology at

https://www.schoology.com/course/209982192/materials?f=26311365 

Call or email with questions.    Schoology password support:  https://app.schoology.com/login/forgot

Rescheduling for October 23-24

The path of the storm remains uncertain, but with the heavy rain and State of Emergency established, we've been encouraged to reschedule our face-to-face session for October 23-24.  

Please look after the safety of your family, friends and property.

Meanwhile, please also continue the great discussions on Schoology.  I'll post a third discussion topic/question tonight.  You may also start your own discussions (give it the next sequential number - 3., 4., or 5., etc.).

https://www.schoology.com/course/209982192/materials?f=26311365 

Call or email with questions.    

Schoology password support: https://app.schoology.com/login/forgot