Characteristics And Influential Factors Of Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Understanding Of Teaching In China And Canada

Educational reform is a hot issue that educational researchers all over the world are paying close attention to.With the rapid development of science and technology,the application of mathematics becomes more extensive.Many researchers study teachers' mathematics cognition,concept and understanding from various perspectives,and there are also many comparative and cross-cultural studies.The main purpose of this study is to analyze teachers' understanding of teaching in China and Canada from the perspective of reciprocal learning,through interviews,observation of teaching videos and analyzing texts,analyze the characteristics and influencing factors,summarize the similarities and differences of mathematics teachers' understanding of teaching in China and Canada,reflect on mathematics teaching,and put forward some enlightenments and suggestions to promote mathematics teaching.This research is based on the sub-topic "Mathematics Education " of " Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education and School Education between Canada and China" Project.Four elementary school mathematics teachers from China and Canada are taken as the research objects.According to the basic questions of the research,four teachers' teaching videos are collected and four teachers are interviewed.Combining with the analysis framework of this study,this paper sorted out and analyzed the data,summarized the characteristics?similarities and differences of elementary teachers' understanding of mathematics teaching in China and Canada from four aspects: mathematics subject,specific mathematics content,designing Mathematics teaching process,students' learning specific mathematics content.According to the interviews,8 factors affecting teachers' understanding of mathematics teaching are extracted: teaching experience and reflection,reference materials,teaching environment,self-learning,inservice training and studying,colleague communication and pre-service learning experience,all-round teaching and departmental teaching,education culture and background.This paper analyzes how these factors affecting teachers' understanding of teaching in elementary schools in China and Canada and also the similarities and differences of the factors.The study finds that the commonness of Chinese and Canadian elementary mathematics are: 1.Paying attention to the instrumental and social value of mathematics;2.Grasping the the Essence of Mathematical Knowledge;3.Opposing students' passive acceptance of learning;4.Stressing students' learning characteristics.The differences lie in: 1.Chinese teachers emphasize the scientific rigor of mathematics,while Canadian teachers attach importance to the lifeoriented mathematics;2.Chinese teachers think highly of students' mathematical literacy and learning efficiency,Canadian teachers attach importance to students' comprehensive quality;3.Chinese teachers tend to be teacher-led,Canadian teachers tend to let students explore actively;4.Chinese teachers attach importance to the effect of cooperation,Canadian teachers attach importance to students' participation in cooperation;5.Chinese teachers are faithful to textbooks,Canadian teachers independently select and develop curriculum resources;6.Chinese teachers focus on students as a whole,Canadian teachers pay attention to individual differences of students.The understanding of teaching of elementary school teachers in Canada and China is influenced by 5 factors: teaching experience and reflection,reference materials,teaching environment,self-learning,all-round teaching and departmental teaching.The difference is that Chinese teachers are also influenced by inservice training and studying as well as colleague communication,while Canadian teachers are influenced by early learning experience.The main conclusions are: The teaching understanding of elementary school mathematics teachers in China and Canada focuses on the similarity between paying attention to the nature of subjects and respecting students;The differences between the two countries' elementary school mathematics teachers' teaching understanding are: Chinese teachers value subject literacy while Canadian teachers value comprehensive literacy;Chinese teachers attach importance to teacher-led,while Canadian teachers attach importance to students' independent exploration;Chinese teachers attach importance to overall learning efficiency while Canadian teachers attach importance to student differences;Chinese teachers are more faithful and Canadian teachers are more autonomous;There are common factors affecting teachers' teaching understanding in China and Canada.We should view and study education and teaching on the base of different cultural backgrounds from the perspective of reciprocal learning.Chinese and Canadian teachers should learn from each other's advanced teaching understanding from the following aspects:(1)Strengthening the concept of multidisciplinary integration;(2)Attaching importance to students' individual differences;(3)Deepening subject literacy and paying attention to comprehensive literacy;(4)Student center,teacher guidance;(5)The unity of faithfulness and autonomy.Also,we need integrate internal and external factors to strengthen the professional development of mathematics teachers.