Organizational differences

Another key difference between the UK and Shanghai pedagogies lies in the way that classrooms and teachers are managed.

For example, there is no streaming according to ability in Shanghai. Students, regardless of their mastery in the subject, undergo the same curriculum. In the UK, students who struggle are provided with greater support while those who excel are given one that will challenge them.

Qian Ying, a math teacher at the Qiyi High School affiliated to Tongji University who visited three high schools in the UK in 2015 and 2019, said that the British method is more gracious to students who struggle with the lessons.

"Students have to correctly solve a problem before getting to move on to a more difficult one. This approach is good for helping children who aren't as proficient in math to realize their potential and build confidence in the subject," she says.

Meanwhile, Livia Mitson from the Impington Village College near Cambridge, a combined junior and senior high school for students aged from 11 to 18, says that she also sees advantages in the Chinese approach of grouping students together regardless of their ability. Doing so, she explains, encourages students to help one another.

Another key organizational difference is related to the teachers.

"Each Shanghai teacher specializes in a specific subject, but most British teachers in primary and secondary schools teach many subjects. It is therefore harder to specialize and perfect our skills in math," says Pullen.

According to Mark Boylan, the head of the Sheffield Hallam team that evaluated the exchange program, Shanghai teachers receive some 500 hours of subject-specific training during the first five years of their career and are allowed more time to plan their lessons. In contrast, UK teachers receive just a third of that training.

Textbooks, Pullen adds, is another factor. While the use of textbooks in Shanghai is largely standardized, the same cannot be said for schools in the UK.

Making the process fun

One aspect of the UK approach that some Shanghai teachers have been intrigued by is the focus on incorporating fun into the learning process.

Liu Jiandong, a math teacher at the Shanghai Huangpu District First Central Primary School who has participated in three exchanges to the UK, says he is amazed at how British teachers often apply math to real life scenarios to make learning more relatable.

"An English math class usually lasts between 45 and 90 minutes, much longer than a standard 35-minute Chinese class. This allows teachers to place more emphasis on the fun of learning," says Liu.

He recalls that in one lesson on units of weight, a British teacher brought a suitcase to class and got the students to help the Shanghai teachers fill the bag up with food till it weighed 23 kilograms.

"This interesting and interactive approach helps children to feel how heavy a 23-kg baggage is. In Shanghai, the context of math questions for children is usually abstract and lacks a connection to the real world," he explains.

In some UK primary schools, students get to learn the principles of math through role-playing, such as shopping for goods or vendors selling their wares. According to Mitson, the role-playing area would change six times a year to allow students to take on different roles.

Liu also noticed that UK teachers often used a range of teaching tools, such as rectangular bars, colored paper and balls of different sizes, to make lessons more interesting. He says Shanghai teachers could adopt that.

Qian shares this sentiment. She points out that teachers in the UK often use an educational software called Formulator Tarsia to create activities in the form of jigsaws or dominos that help to engage the kids further.

"Children learn math through playing games on the software. It is a fun way to develop kids' intelligence and interest. I am also a fan of the software now," says Qian.

Contact the writer at caochen@chinadaily.com.cn