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4 What Does TIMSS Say About Instructional Practices?
Pages 44-63

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From page 44... ... Many teachers report shortages of equipment for use in demonstrations and other exercises. In the large majority of TIMSS countries, disruptive students, differences in academic abilities, and unmotivated students are cited by many teachers as factors that limit their ability to teach (Martin et al., 1997, pp. Read the entire page →
From page 45... ... As in the previous chapter and the next chapter, questions at the beginning of each major section provide guides for considering educational changes in light of the results from TIMSS. The information presented in this chapter comes from two main sources: the TIMSS background questionnaires given to administrators, teachers, and students and the video study of eighth-grade mathematics teaching in Germany, Japan, and the United States. Read the entire page →
From page 46... ... VARIATIONS IN INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE Lesson Structure Teachers at the fourth- and eighth-grade levels who participated in TIMSS filled out questionnaires asking how much class time they spent on a number of different instructional practices. This analysis revealed that lesson structure has some common features among countries, though interesting differences also appeared. Read the entire page →
From page 47... ... 10 The videotape studies of eighth-grade mathematics in Japan, Germany, and the United States substantiate these findings (Stigler and Hiebert, 1997; Stigler et al., 1999~. These data reveal that teachers in all three countries spend more time doing classwork, where the teacher works with the entire class, than seatwork, where students work on their own or in small groups. Read the entire page →
From page 48... ... In this analysis, Japan differed significantly from the United States and Germany (Figure 4-2~. Japanese students spent about the same amount of time practicing routine procedures and inventing something new, whereas German and U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 49... ... Among students taking advanced mathematics or physics, a much higher percentage of U.S. students report having homework three or more times per week than students in other countries 90 versus 66 percent for advanced mathematics students, and 50 versus 40 percent for physics students (U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 50... ... INFLUENCES ON INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES Beneath the observable activities that occur in mathematics and science classes are the external forces and internal motivations that influence instruction in particular ways. Some of these influences are embedded in the curriculum, as described in the previous chapter. Read the entire page →
From page 51... ... Part of the explanation for this choice probably is that approved textbook series in Japan follow the national curriculum, and many teachers' manuals in Japan are developed by the teachers themselves and contain rich information for planning lessons. Teachers in lap en may believe that following the teachers' manual both satisfies the national guidelines and provides pedagogical help. Read the entire page →
From page 52... ... In the United States the general description of eighth-grade mathematics teaching could be "learning terms and practicing procedures." In Germany and the United States, students engage in mathematics by following the teacher's lead. In Germany this often takes the form of responding to specific questions from the teacher as the whole class develops a relatively advanced procedure. Read the entire page →
From page 53... ... These scripts draw on the elements and aspects of instruction described above, including goals for instruction, beliefs about the nature of science and math ematics, beliefs about how those subjects are learned and should be taught, and the characteristics of a normal or typical lesson. Because TIMSS gathered more information about mathematics instruction than about science instruction, it provides a clearer picture of scripts for the teaching of mathematics than for the teaching of science. Read the entire page →
From page 54... ... Focusing on the differences among potential scripts during preservice and ongoing teacher education provides one way in which scripts could be changed or"rewritten." Such rewriting is not necessarily easy, but it becomes possible as insight is gained into how science and mathematics teaching varies among countries and among teachers. INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AND THE STANDARDS The national mathematics and science standards call for forms of teaching quite different from what is found in many U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 55... ... provide classrooms that promote thinking, but it takes much more than worthwhile math ematical tasks and a commitment to discourse. It takes deep insight about mathematics, about teaching, and about learners, coupled with a sound and robust mathematics curriculum and thoughtful reflection and planning" (p. Read the entire page →
From page 56... ... A U.S. IESSON Reviewing Previous Material and Checking Homework The video begins with Mr. Read the entire page →
From page 57... ... The patterns for eighth-grade mathematics instruction in the United States are evident get the terms and definitions straight and learn the procedures for solving specific kinds of problems. The nature and level of the mathematics also are quite simple compared with those found in typical Japanese and German lessons. Read the entire page →
From page 58... ... Mr. Jones circulates around the room, answering questions and giving hints. Read the entire page →
From page 59... ... He goes over two problems with them, both involving measuring angles using a protractor. The second problem begins by measuring the interior angles of a hexagon, shown below, and computing the total. Read the entire page →
From page 60... ... He then conducts a quick oral review with the class on the meaning of such terms as complementary, supplementary, obtuse angle, and acute angle. A few minutes remain and Mr. Read the entire page →
From page 61... ... Mr. Yoshida circulates around the room, answering questions and giving hints. Read the entire page →
From page 62... ... The problem for the Jay has been presented by the teacher but only aher students reviewed material that would allow them to begin solving it; students have worked individually for a time as the teacher moved around the room, observing their progress, giving hints, and taking notes. Now students ship to small groups to share what they have found and to continue trying to solve the problem. Read the entire page →
From page 63... ... Yoshida: The textbooks First try thinking about it by yourselves, okays You know that it was in the textbook, Kuhn [You're] sharp. Read the entire page →

From page 44...

... Many teachers report shortages of equipment for use in demonstrations and other exercises. In the large majority of TIMSS countries, disruptive students, differences in academic abilities, and unmotivated students are cited by many teachers as factors that limit their ability to teach (Martin et al., 1997, pp.

4 What Does TIMSS Say About Instructional Practices? Pages 44-63

4 What Does TIMSS Say About Instructional Practices?
Pages 44-63