Lessons from a Small-scale Observational Study - An Example of the Teaching of Fractions

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate what a small-scale project can tell about features of teaching and learning in two different cultures. We argue that some features, which may not be easily observed within one culture, can become more visible in the contrast in order to get a better understanding of the teaching practice per se, even from a small scale project. We have studied the mathematics teaching in one classroom in Hong Kong and four in Sweden. Based on the assumption, that how the content is taught has an important implication on what students may possibly learn, we compared how the teaching of the same topic (fraction) may differ between the two places. Some profound differences regarding how the same topic was dealt with in the two countries were found. In the Hong Kong data several things were handled in one lesson at the same time whereas in the Swedish data this happened in a sequence of lessons spreading over a substantial period.