What else is important besides the teacher? The case of a Hong Kong Mathematics classroom

Abstract

A major contribution to the outstanding mathematics achievement outcomes in Hong Kong classrooms is how the mathematics lessons are taught and how the lessons are received. In this paper, I carried out analysis of the data of one Hong Kong teacher taken from the Learner’s Perspective Study. The teacher was a very experienced teacher, recognized as a very good and competent teacher locally. A sequence of 18 consecutive lessons has been recorded. Analysis of the students’ interviews and the teacher’s interviews was carried out to find the pedagogical philosophy of the teacher and how the students received their mathematics lessons. Results show that the teacher took up a strong leading and guiding role in the lesson. Nearly all students liked the teacher and their mathematics lessons. In the interviews, the students showed their appreciation of how the teacher taught. They liked the demonstration and experiences of alternative methods for a problem and thought that knowing the steps for solving the problem helped their understanding. They respected both the teacher’s authority in the classroom and the help from classmates. They learnt from the teacher’s correction of students’ mistakes and appreciated the discussion of mistakes.