In the UK schools are being urged to go back to ‘chalk and talk’ teaching in order to reproduce the 'success' the traditional methods now have in China.
UK Education Minister Nick Gibb said having a teacher speak to the class as a whole from the front was much more effective than children working on their own.
Mr Gibb’s intervention, follows a Government scheme in which more than 70 maths teachers from British primaries went to Shanghai to study the teaching styles of their Chinese counterparts.
Researchers have found that children in China achieve marks in maths up to 30 per cent higher than English pupils of the same age.( Only some parts of China which by the way is a communist dictatorship)
In ‘whole class’ teaching, the teacher instructs all the pupils together by using a blackboard, or its equivalent, while testing the children with questions.( My College lecturers called that 'filling empty vessels- That was 30 years ago)
Today in our schools (and in Glen Park) pupils are encouraged to ‘discover’ knowledge by themselves, working at their own speed or in small groups, with the teacher offering them support.
Mr Gibb has said ‘I would like to see schools across the country adopt whole class teaching methods, particularly in maths and science. Research shows it is significantly more effective than other methods that concentrate more on personalised learning.’
He said Shanghai schools topped international league tables, with 15-year-olds there three years ahead of their English counterparts in maths.
Mr Gibb added: ‘In Shanghai primary schools, whole class teaching with all pupils taking part in question and answer sessions is key to their success. All their pupils are taught the same curriculum and all are expected to reach the same high standard.’
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