vendredi, décembre 12, 2008

TIMSS 2007 Results


Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a worldwide research project, taking place every four years and providing data about trends in mathematics and science achievement over time. It assesses the knowledge (e.g. transmission and assimilation) and skills of pupils aged 9-10 (e.g. Grade 4) and 13-14 (e.g. Grade 8) around the world, and enables researchers to collect extensive background information about the quantity, quality, context and content of teaching, which can be used to make comparisons between participating countries. Findings from the survey are used to inform education policy and to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science for pupils around the world.

The 2007 results came out in early December. 36 countries participated at Grade 4 level and 47 at Grade 8 level. Similar to earlier TIMSS assessments, Asian countries top at both the 4th and 8th grades in Maths. Among the 4th graders, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan were the top performing countries in Maths. At Grade 8 level - Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore in this order.

In Science, Asian countries once again top at both grades. At 4th Grade, Singapore was the top performing country followed by Taiwan and Hong Kong. At 8th Grade, once again Singapore outperformed all the other countries, followed by Taiwan and Japan. The study also provided results according to gender in each country. And mentioned the Human Development Index of all countries.

That is something we can be proud of, though of course 36 or 47 countries do not represent the entire earth though most of the developed world participated in the study. Like most "international" studies, it is to be taken with a pinch of salt and I have no time to go through the assessment papers or analyse the factors and results myself. And these tests do not usually assess children for their thinking skills (e.g. how to apply Maths and Science out of the assessment context), and we all know that in general children in Asia excel in taking exams and very often that's half the battle won. But at least we know that the torture we put our kids through back home is not for nothing and that over a span of time, the continuous effort made by MOE to innovate in teaching and assessment is bearing fruit i.e. learning is starting to be as fun as it has always been painful and the quality/quantity is not being compromised.

For in Europe in general, the desire to include everyone in education, not letting anyone fail if possible etc has seen many countries move towards more tolerant assessment systems. Most Brits today do not know the O Levels and their A Levels have been watered down in difficulty over the years. I remember now that they phased out the O Levels in 1988 (the year I took mine) because too many of their kids were not making past the O Levels not to mention passing the A levels or even doing the S Levels (like I did - stayed till past 6pm most days at JC because of the extra lessons). But most British children are also confident public speakers. Not quite like the paper-churning robots we usually have in Singapore.

As you can imagine, I do not have any Maths or Science geniuses at home. But they are pretty good at disguising themselves as cowboys or pirates and playing for hours inventing stories and writing Hollywood-like scenarios all on their own. I will always have some regret that I couldn't make them suffer like I've suffered as a child, but when you're out of the system, you're out of the system. And does not being just happy count after all?

5 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

Ohhh... You know SIngapore Maths is huge. In our old school, the Maths club used Singapore Maths to practice on. Most Homeschoolers use that method as well..

My dh and I have talked quite a bit about this. NK is very good at both subjects. He things the schools here suck and they dont lay the foundation well..

But Ashwina does so many extra things..like her economic projects, or writing a script or putting out a quaterly newspaper...

Sigh, it tough to find a balance between both worlds.

Muriel a dit…

Well really a good computer or simply a calculatrice can do the work. I think it is a very silly way to measure what in fact?

I am more interested of our children to learn HOW to learn, to speak, to communicate. It is more an emotional intelligence, it is also very difficult to quantify, but our manager are emotionnally intelligent, they have employee for doing the maths.

I was told it was a Chinese proverb ( buT i am not sure):
"So educated, he/she could name a horse in 10 languages, so ignorant he bought a cow to ride"
^-^

Anonyme a dit…

And that's why Singapore cannot produce Google's founders like Larry Page & Segrey Brin, Micorsoft's Bill Gates. Also Facebook's founder whatever his name his.

So much for being exam smart Singapore. Exam smart countries are just rote learners. As a Singaporean who has worked with several Asian nationalities; the China Chinese are the worst when it comes to original creative thinking which translates into unimaginative products being churned out as replicates of what has since been invented.

For some reason that I cannot fathom, only the Japanese has managed to break this rote learning syndrome & has simultaneously churned out original inventions: think microwave oven, walkman, WII, Nintendo, Hello Kitty. And also Nobel Prize winners in science & technology. With so many cram schools in Japan eg Kumon etc, they somehow manage to nurture a population that is high in creative innovation.

Anonyme a dit…

thanks for the info...I'm sure the teaching force will be drilled further to maintain the exceptional performance. Yeah!

Beau Lotus 涟 a dit…

Chacun voit midi à sa porte. The TIMSS results could be interpreted positively or negatively according to one's personal position and priorities.

I think and know that Maths and Science are very important. Especially their applications outside of the school or test context. Personally I did well in Maths, but school has scared me off the subject and I dropped it the minute I could, though I'm not too bad in mental calculations because I've really suffered for them.

Muriel is right - you need more value-added qualities to succeed in the working world than being just a pure maths or science genius. I have good IQ and EQ for example, haha. But no fibre for maths or science.

Anon, I do not see what's wrong with rote learning as long as it's part of a greater scheme of things. I have gone thru Singapore's school system and have a good idea of education in France, Southern Germany and now Italy. Rote learning is everywhere and as long as it doesn't just stop there, it serves its own purpose. And what and how you learn depend on which schools you go to, which teachers you meet in your life, your own attitudes towards learning etc.

But it is true that China troubles me in many ways, they're really flooding the world with all their mediocre shit, from contaminated food to poisonous toys, lousy replicas of almost everything and even lousy Msg-rich so-called Chinese cuisine. Here in Italy they're now sprouting Jap restaurants like mushrooms - bringing us their lousy imitation of Jap cuisine what else!

The Japs, they're brilliant, with an innate sense of beauty and perfection. BUT, they can also be pretty twisted, see the rigid hierarchies, working code, type "Toyko" on Google and I know of kids who have found sex sites referenced there etc. And they don't like it when kids ask questions.

Asaaan, like you, I hope to find balance between both worlds. Learning is a life-long process, you must want to learn forever, not look upon school as an age 6-18kind of necessary evil. From what I know, many schools in Singapore are now working to find this balance but it wouldn't be fast. You know our siege mentality, nobody- owes-us-a-living rhetoric, they will try to make learning fun, interesting generating more thinkers and creativity, but being KS, just-in-case, no way they'll loosen on the quantity. It's the jungle out there - be prepared.