The gap in math achievement between American students and students of some Asian countries has attracted the attention of our research community. The "knowledge gap" may not be limited to students. There may be a parallel gap in teachers' knowledge. In a study I conducted at the National Center for Research on Teacher Education, most of the American teachers were unable to make up a story to illustrate the meaning of division by fractions. In contrast, a group of Chinese teachers succeeded. Many of them provided even more than one story to elaborate various facets of the topic. Such a contrast also occurred in several other common areas of elementary math. This apparent difference between Chinese and U.S. teachers' knowledge is paradoxical. Chinese teachers have much less formal education, yet seem to have more comprehensive understanding of school math than their American counterparts. How is it possible that teachers can achieve more understanding through less education? Conducting a comparative study, I use the research instruments of influential American studies to investigate some Chinese teachers' knowledge of school math. Rich examples of how the teachers understand elementary math present a particular picture of what I would call "Profound understanding of fundamental math." The study leads to a better understanding of teachers' math knowledge that promotes conceptual learning, and calls for a reflection on current teacher education.
展开▼
