| Why some Chinese students are better at math? | | | | not only for the reason that their kids are not doing |
| | | | | well, they want them to be even better and build |
| Frank Ho | | | | solid foundation. They do not just send their children |
| | | | | for a few months and then quit, they send kids to |
| Canada certified math teacher | | | | learning centres year after year until grade 12. |
| | | | | 8. I saw many cases where Chinese married |
| Ho Math and Chess Learning Centre | | | | non-Chinese and it was always the Chinese spouse |
| | | | | who came to the learning centre and the non-Chinese |
| | | | | spouse hardly showed up and never really asked any |
| June, 2010 | | | | questions or took interest in how their kid was doing. |
| | | | | Some Chinese spouses told me that their |
| There are lots of myths around the issue of "Chinese | | | | non-Chinese spouses feel "strange' why a child still |
| are good at math" and it somewhat implies that the | | | | have to go to a math learning centre when there is |
| statement is genetic based. I decide to share my | | | | already a math class at day school. Why they agree |
| observations and experiences in tutoring math for | | | | to send child to soccer camp then? There is already |
| over 15 years at Ho Math and Chess Learning Centre, | | | | a PE class at school. |
| Vancouver, Canada on why some (Canadian) Chinese | | | | 9. Chinese parents are willing to help their children at |
| students are good at math. | | | | home when their children do not understand. |
| | | | | 10. Chinese parents sit in my classes and help kids |
| In this article, when I say some Chinese students are | | | | when they know their kids are behind. In some |
| better at math, I mean to say that some Chinese | | | | cases, they sit beside their children to get ahead. |
| students' math marks are better than their peers | | | | 11. Some Chinese students complained that their |
| while going to the same schools. | | | | parents are pushing them to study more than their |
| | | | | peers and I remind them that their parents' actions |
| Some Chinese students (or some Asians with | | | | could be reversed if they simply study harder and |
| Chinese origin background students from Japan, | | | | more diligently, but they disagree. |
| Korea, Hong Kong, or Taiwan) seem to score better | | | | 12. Some parents train their children in more strict |
| in their math tests than their peers (whether they | | | | disciplinarian and regimental and will have their children |
| are Asian or non-Asian students) when going to the | | | | come to my learning centre even after the math |
| same class, why? | | | | exam is over while others do not come as soon as |
| | | | | the exam is over. |
| The real issue is not really Chinese students are | | | | |
| better at math, it is really the issue of finding out | | | | The third important factor contributing to the |
| what factors have contributed to the difference | | | | success of getting higher math marks is the ability of |
| between math A and non-A students regardless if | | | | self-learning of children themselves. |
| they are Chinese or not. | | | | |
| | | | | 1. The A students can concentrate and understand |
| It is not Chinese are good at math, it is some | | | | 100% of what I taught them in class. Some non-A |
| Chinese student are better at getting higher math | | | | Chinese students chit-chat in my classes and would |
| marks than other Chinese or non-Chinese students. | | | | stop only when I repeatedly told them not to talk, |
| For this reason, "Chinese" mentioned in this article | | | | they seem to need baby-sitters to sit beside them. |
| implies "Elementary and secondary Chinese | | | | In fact, some of parents were asked to sit beside |
| background students in Vancouver, Canada". The | | | | their kids and the situation improved but what |
| underlined reason is not Chinese language is inherently | | | | happens when parents could not sit beside them? |
| helpful to Chinese to learn math, although it may help | | | | We are talking about kids who are already 10 – |
| a bit but not significantly that is because some | | | | 12 years old Chinese students. |
| Chinese students are also very bad at math. Some | | | | 2. Not willing to do homework and have no feeling if |
| Chinese students are clearly doing better than other | | | | they made too many mistakes, they do not care |
| Chinese students. Would it be possible that this group | | | | about their quality of products. |
| of math A Chinese students' descents continues the | | | | 3. Do not care if they get A or B, no pride. They told |
| similar trend then it might have some genetic | | | | me that they are at learning centre is because their |
| influence down the road? This hypothesis is beyond | | | | parents wanted them to. |
| the scope of this article. So my observations are | | | | 4. No interest in doing any challenging work. They said |
| more to do with to find out why some Chinese origin | | | | something like: "My school is not doing this", "It is too |
| students in Vancouver, Canada could get A and | | | | hard for me", "I am tired, I need candy", "Can I do |
| some could not? I also compared Chinese math A | | | | something else?" |
| students to other Chinese non-A students to | | | | 5. Leave loose homework sheets on the table when |
| attempt to find out why? | | | | leaving because they are not interested in doing |
| | | | | them or leave notes I wrote on the table since they |
| My observations are as follows: | | | | have no interest to review them later, their |
| | | | | backpacks have many loose sheets and they have |
| There are 3 major contributing factors which | | | | no interest in organizing them in an orderly fashion. |
| contribute the result of (Chinese) students getting an | | | | |
| A in math. The first is to have a good school. I had a | | | | So from my comparison and observations based on |
| girl who transferred from a private school to another | | | | my own teaching experience, the causers of some |
| private school and then she felt that the new school | | | | Chinese students are doing better in math is not |
| math standard is higher than previous private school | | | | really the matter of Chinese or not Chinese students. |
| simply because the students in the new private | | | | It is also a widely believed Chinese culture effect. |
| school have higher ability, as a result, she got more | | | | The real cause is that some Chinese parents have |
| stimulus from that environment and has to work lot | | | | made sacrifices by paying more to educate their |
| of harder because they are more smarter kids in the | | | | children and by putting in more of their own time and |
| new class. Chinese families move just because their | | | | more energy in caring their children to attempt to |
| children want to enroll in a so called high ranking | | | | raise the bar themselves. It is the continued attention |
| school is very common. Many Chinese parents want | | | | from parents and much more efforts and care of |
| to send their kids to private schools if they were told | | | | some Chinese's parents and students' own relentless |
| or they perceive the private schools seem to have | | | | hard work have contributed to the success of some |
| higher standard academically. They encourage their | | | | Chinese who are doing better than their peers. |
| kids to go to enriched math classes, send their kids | | | | Perhaps the percentage of Chinese (Asian) families |
| to after-school learning centre to get better. Parents | | | | who are putting more efforts (as described above) in |
| who are doing something extra for their kids on | | | | learning math is higher than some non-Chinese |
| education tend to send a strong message to their | | | | (non-Asian) families which have contributed to the |
| kids that education is very important for them, so | | | | feeling that Chinese are better at math. |
| important that they will move to the location of a | | | | |
| good school. | | | | The more interesting question is then to attempt to |
| | | | | find out why this group of Chinese parents is so |
| The second important contributing factor, I feel, is | | | | willing to sacrifice themselves to educate their |
| Chinese parents' attitude toward education. | | | | children? Many have attributed the reason to Chinese |
| | | | | culture, but what kind of Chinese culture made this |
| 1. Chinese parents' expectations on their children's | | | | group of parents act so differently? This begs for |
| academic performance is high, often they told me | | | | more answers. Is this group of Chinese immigrants in |
| that what their kids are learning in North American | | | | North America so special that they are very different |
| schools is lower than or not as hard as what they | | | | from other Chinese people in China, Taiwan, or Hong |
| learned when they were kids in China, Hong Kong or | | | | Kong? Is it related to Confucius? Is it related to the |
| Taiwan. They are not happy with day's school math | | | | national government officials' rigorous exam system |
| curriculum standard and think it is low when | | | | which has been in existing in China for over |
| compared to China or Taiwan or Hon Kong etc. | | | | thousands of years? Is it related to that Chinese |
| 2. They have no objection on kids been given | | | | people always paying more respect to intellectuals? |
| homework even at lower grades such as | | | | If the trend continues then how it will possibly |
| kindergarten or grade 1 and they think it is good for | | | | become a "genetic" factor in the future is beyond |
| kids and this was how they were brought up and | | | | the scope of this article. |
| they are used to it. | | | | |
| 3. They want their kids to be more educated than | | | | At my learning centre, Ho Math and Chess, the |
| they were and go to Ivy League universities. They | | | | amount of work children will do, in some cases, is |
| tell their kids to try harder and study harder so their | | | | several times of the amount their day school will give |
| kids can go to US Ivy League universities. | | | | to them, so with average intelligence why they will |
| 4. They do not just send kids to academic | | | | not improve math? Besides, children at Ho Math and |
| after-school learning centres only, their kids are being | | | | Chess do not just work on math, they also study |
| sent to piano lessons, speech lessons, ballet lessons, | | | | chess and solve puzzles, and they get the chance to |
| and all kinds of sports lessons and they also | | | | enhancing their math IQ while improving their school |
| encourage their kids to do volunteer work when | | | | math marks. |
| they are older. Some Chinese parents send their kids | | | | |
| to 2 after-school math learning centres in addition to | | | | Getting high math marks and preparing for tests or |
| having a private math tutor at home. | | | | exams are not the essence for learning math. I do |
| 5. Chinese parents have the idea that if their kids are | | | | not advocate that parents shall educate their children |
| getting A's, then the next step is they want their | | | | on math like those Chinese parents do, nor do I |
| kids to be top in class. If they are top in the class, | | | | necessarily agree with Chinese parents' views and |
| they want their kids to be 2 or 3 grades ahead of | | | | opinions on how to train children on math. I do feel |
| their current math curriculum. | | | | parents shall provide guidance to children and direct |
| 6. Chinese parents agree that summer time is a relax | | | | them to learn not just computations but also learn |
| time but they have no objection that their kids also | | | | some puzzles and chess to exercise children's brains |
| do some math in the summer and then get ahead. | | | | and develop critical thinking skills at the earliest |
| 7. They send kids to after-school learning centres is | | | | possible age. |