Teaching Mathematics In Second Language Through Team-Teaching: Facing The Differences Between West And Pre-Soviet Mathematics

Author(s):

Rinat Zhumabayev(presenting / submitting)Oraltay Zholymbayev(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

24. Mathematics Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

24 SES 11, Mathematics and Language

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-25

17:15-18:45

Room:

Vet-Theatre 114

Chair:

Catherine Pearn

Contribution

According to the Kazakhstan State Program of Education Development, by year 2020, the percentage of teachers who will teach in English science and math at Higher Educational Schools should increase to 15%. However, the reality shows that in 2014 only 0.15% of teachers are conducting lessons in English. All of these data required us to develop process of implementing trilingual policy at Higher Educational Schools.

One of the ways of developing the use of L2 in teaching mathematics at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools(further NIS) was the use of team-teaching method, where one local mathematics teacher and one international mathematics teachers worked together. However, the implementation of this new method of teaching brought new challenges.

First was a language challenge, when it was not easy to understand each other and it affected for the quality of lesson planning. The understanding of the importance of the English language lead NIS to use the CLIL technology. Yet, because local teachers are not ready to teach in foreign language, team-teaching method is the only one way to develop language skills of local students and teachers.

Second is mathematical education challenge, aroused when two teachers educated by two system (east and west) of teaching mathematics started to work together. By working hand by hand with Cambridge experts, NIS teachers designed and developing a new integrated curriculum for mathematics.The implementation of team teaching also influenced to the curriculum and lesson materials. Teachers met differences between English (west) and Soviet methods of teaching mathematics as well as differences in methods of explaining some mathematical topics. There were also preferences between English and Soviet mathematics in mathematical language. Finally, there were mathematical topics in which west and east mathematics teachers have strong knowledge.

In the framework of “action research”, practitioner teachers who have been, teaching mathematics with international mathematics teachers focused on the questions: what is the benefit of using team teaching in teaching high mathematics and what kind of challenges might local mathematics teacher and international teacher met by working in one team and using new integrated curriculum of mathematics which based on both: West and Pre-Soviet mathematics?

Method

In these research participated 10 mathematics teachers from, both local and international staff.They were interviewed and surveyed. All the data then interpreted. In research work researchers analyzed and used a qualitative and quantative data from the survey and interview taken from 51 upper school students.Researchers also did a comparible analsis of West and Russian mathematics books.

Expected Outcomes

There are advantages of using team teaching in math lessons for developing the language skills for all members as well as improving teaching methods. When two teachers educated by two: West and Russian system of educations and had to work in a team they had not only language barriers, but also faced next differences which teachers need to take into account for collaborative work: Differences between West and Soviet methods of teaching mathematics:For example, there are preferences in the ways of calculating a determinant of a matrix. In the local mathematics books, students learn to calculate it by the triangle rule. In West the determinant of matrix 3 by 3 can be found by another rule.Teachers noticed the differences between English and Soviet mathematics in language preferences. Students who are going to enroll in Western universities should be introduces with them in order to be able to understand the given of mathematical problems. -Theory versus practice and statistics versus geometry:In Western mathematics books with comparison Soviet mathematics books the level of mathematical tasks and problems seems to be easier for our students from the academic view, however, more often, problems in Western books tasks are more practical. With the new changes in curriculum, teachers of NIS faced a challenge: to study deep the topic “statistics”. Before Statistics considerate as a separate subject and taught only in some professions. West Statistics versus Russian geometry. Researchers Alexander Carp, Bruce R.Vogeli from Columbia University,USA, wrote: “Perhaps the most striking difference between the teaching of mathematics in Russia and standard mathematics education in West is that the former includes a separate course in geometry taught over 5 year period. It has been over 50 years since it was declared in the West that “”Euclid must go”.

References

1.Challenges and advantages of implementing team teaching in math lessons at NIS Semey, Kazakhstan Rinat Zhumabayev 2.Кіріктірілген білім беру бағдарламасы «Математика» пәні бойынша оқу бағдарламасы,. Жоғарғы мектеп (11-12 сыныптар) Маусым 2014 3. A-level Mathematics for Edexcel Core 4 4.Р.Н. Жумабаев Жанаманың бұрыштық коэффициентін зерттеу арқылы функция туындысы тақырыбын бастау 5.Assel Kambatyrova Junior researcher Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education «Подготовка педагогических кадров на английском языке в контексте внедрения трехъязычного обучения в секторе среднего образования Республики Казахстан» г. Астана – 2015 г. 6.SAT Subject test: Math level 2 pages 34 7.Calculus 9th edition Larson Edwards 8.Quinn, S. and Kanter, S. (1984) "Team Teaching: An Alternative to Lecture Fatigue", Innovation Abstracts, Volume 6, No. 34, Eric Document: ED 251 159. 9. Russian mathematics education. Programs and practices. Edied by Alexander Carp, Bruce R Vogeli Columbia University,USA

Author Information

Rinat Zhumabayev (presenting / submitting)

Nazarbayev Intellectual School at Aktau city, Kazakhstan

Aktau

Oraltay Zholymbayev (presenting)

Semey state university after Shakarim, Kazakhstan

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