Teacher and student perspectives on mathematics lessons: A Shanghai case study

Abstract

Classrooms in Asian regions were sometimes described as teacher-dominating with passive learners. This was an essentially negative image because many pedagogical theories advocate opportunities for students’ participation and free expression of ideas and denounce the idea that the teacher should take too much control in a lesson. Many studies seeking for a better understanding for the nature of the teaching in Asian regions have been carried out and they suggest very clearly that the simple phrase "teacher-dominating" tells too little to inform how the nature of the teacher’s intervention may contribute to learning. The Learner Perspective Study (LPS) collects a rich data set of the lessons, the teachers’ and the students’ interviews. The "insiders" in this paper refer to the teacher and the students who are the key people in lessons. The findings discussed represent a case of a Shanghai teacher moving away from a traditional model of knowledge transmission towards a synthesis based on his own pedagogical philosophies. There is a match between what the teacher wants to give and what the students want to get and this is likely to be a key to a better learning.