[Xmca-l] Re: Maths and science in Russia

[Ed Wall]

Ulvi

         Yes, Russia has and I suspect continues to be more successful that the US in 8th grade and that, I think, might call in question seeming US success in 4th grade (there are perhaps complicating factors). At least, a number of people think so which is, as I said before, one reason for recent reform efforts in the US. 

         As regards the Russian mathematics curriculum, you might want to take a look at a 1980 4th grade Russian  mathematics text 

  ftp://math.stanford.edu/pub/papers/milgram/russian-grade-4-problems.pdf

This is significantly beyond, in places, what is taught to US 4th graders and may, in part, speak to what happens by 8th grade. 

You might want to take a look at Russian Mathematics Education: History and World Significance (Schmittau has a chapter).

Ed

On Dec 21, 2014, at  5:09 PM, Ulvi İçil wrote:

> Thanks Ed.
> 
> The picture I attached earlier may have misled me. In the below link.
> 
> You seem to be right, Russia does not seem to be particularly successful.
> 
> But according to this
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trends_in_International_Mathematics_and_Science_Study
> .
> 
> Countries' scores  with flags.
> 
> Russia seems still to be successful than US at TIMSS2011 for eight grade.
> 
> On the other hand, I suppose that there is a considerable deterioration,
> decentralization and processes alike in Russia after 1990.
> 
> About Piaget dominance in US and England;
> 
> can it be thought that Piaget's dominance is hindering math curriculum to
> be a developed one because it does not take into account early development
> of abstract thinking in children?
> 
> My question about  Russia's actual math curriculum is still open.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2014-12-22 0:48 GMT+02:00 Ed Wall <ewall@umich.edu>:
> 
>> Ulvi
>> 
>>      According to the 2015 TIMSS, the average score of fourth graders in
>> the US is 541 where that of England and the Russian Federation is 542. I
>> know that, in general, the mathematics curriculum in the US and England has
>> nothing much to do with Vygotsky (and yet a lot to do with Piaget). A
>> number of mathematics educators think that the math curriculum in the early
>> grades in the US is not particularly successful (hat is one of the reasons
>> behind some recent reform efforts in the US). Why do you think, given these
>> average scores (and, of course, there are questions about TIMSS), the
>> curriculum in Russia is "quite successful?"
>> 
>> Ed Wall
>> On Dec 21, 2014, at  4:15 PM, Ulvi İçil wrote:
>> 
>>> Thanks Huw.
>>> Yes, I know in Davydov it is called learning activity but my question was
>>> aimed at the curriculum situation in Russia, current math curriculum
>>> applied in Russia's primary schools?
>>> What is this curriculum? Is it the one proposed by Davydov or bearing
>>> another name?
>>> And to put it in terms of Vygotsky, is the curriculum currently applied,
>>> and which seems to be quite successful, has anything to do with
>> Vygotskian
>>> theory in Russia and in other countries where maths seems to be a
>>> successful discipline in primary years.
>>> 
>>> Best,
>>> Ulvi
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 2014-12-22 0:01 GMT+02:00 Huw Lloyd <huw.softdesigns@gmail.com>:
>>> 
>>>> Ulvi,
>>>> 
>>>> The essential 'method' is to facilitate students'  own experimentation
>> with
>>>> methods.  This is called learning activity.
>>>> 
>>>> Huw
>>>> 
>>>> On 21 December 2014 at 12:15, Ulvi İçil <ulvi.icil@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>> 
>>>>> I know there are some works comparing Russia (Davydov's curriculum) and
>>>> US,
>>>>> and even some works done in US with an application of Davydov's, e.g.
>> by
>>>>> Schmittau.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I would like to know, not in detail, but just in general, which main
>>>>> factors lie behind this success in Russia, it is Davydov, or Zarkov or
>>>> any
>>>>> other scholar's method.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ulvi
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>> 
>>