"Based on the fieldwork at two elementary schools in northeastern China, the monograph details how local schools enacted the New Mathematics Curriculum Reform that was launched in early 2000. The trajectory of the reform implementation at each school wasplotted out. Both schools resorted to the long-standing quality control mechanism and teaching norms to operationalize the reform ideas. The mechanism functioned by placing teachers under reform-aligned, measurable supervision and evaluation. The schoolsresponded to the reform out of school people's practical concerns as well as the established school culture. Merits School arrived at a two-faces strategy to cope with the reform. Pioneer School managed to maintain a balance between promoting reform pedagogy and maintaining good test rankings. Both schools marginally involved parents in the implementation of the reform. This study suggests that to achieve success, reformers need to place equal emphasis on the transformation of teachers as well as local policymakers. This book enriches the existing literature on the implementation of mathematics curriculum reform at the school level and brings insights into the schools' implementation decisions, which will appeal to policy makers, curriculum researchers and administrators"--
Based on fieldwork at two elementary schools in northeastern China, the monograph explores how local schools responded to the Chinese New Mathematics Curriculum Reform in 2001, and how the current on-going reform started in 2011 inherited its legacy.
Based on the fieldwork carried out at two elementary schools, Merits School and Pioneer School, in northeastern China, the monograph details how local schools enacted the New Mathematics Curriculum Reform that was launched in early 2000.
The trajectory of the reform implementation at each school was plotted out. Both schools resorted to a long-standing quality control mechanism, i.e., teaching norms, to operationalize the reform ideas. The mechanism functioned by placing teachers under measurable supervision and evaluation aligned with the reform. The schools responded to the reform following school people’s raising practical concerns, as well as the established school culture. Merits School arrived at a "two-faced strategy" to cope with the reform. Pioneer School managed to maintain a balance between promoting reform pedagogy and maintaining good test rankings. Both schools marginally involved parents in the implementation of the reform. This study suggests that to achieve success, reformers need to place equal emphasis on the transformation of teachers as well as local policymakers.
This book enriches the existing literature on the implementation of mathematics curriculum reform at the school level and brings insights into the schools’ implementation decisions, which will appeal to policymakers, curriculum researchers and administrators.
1. Introduction
2. Curriculum Reform as Leverage of Change
3. Research
Design
4. Merits School Confronted with the Reform
5. Teaching Evaluation
at Merits School In Response to the Reform
6. Teachers Learning and
Professional Development at Merits School 7. Pioneer School Embraced the
Reform
8. Teaching Evaluation at Pioneer School in Response to the Reform
9. Teachers Experience of the Curriculum Reform at Pioneer School 10. Key
Findings
11. General Discussion
12. Concluding Remarks
Wei Gao, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Institute of Higher Education at Beijing University of Technology, China. He obtained his doctorate from Syracuse University, United States of America. He has been an elementary teacher, UN Volunteer, special educator, and an engineer. His research is focused on STEM education and inclusion issues.
Xianwei Liu, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Institute of Higher Education at Beijing University of Technology, China. Dr. Liu focuses on the area of STEM education, with a particular interest in students capacity development in the STEM areas.
