Why do Asian kids outperform Western kids in math?

YouTube ^ | Book published in 2008 | Malcolm Gladwell

[grundle]

Malcolm Gladwell in his book "The Outliers" states that the reason Asian kids consistently outperform western kids in international math tests is because of the cultural attitude these kids have towards solving a math problem, or any task that requires patience and effort for a long period of time.

In China and other Asian cultures, there is a logical pattern to learning math based on a confidence and expectation that if we apply enough effort the problem is solvable while in the West, kids believe their ability is innate and can't be changed or influenced.

Malcolm's theory is that the reason for this difference in attitude has to do with the historical agriculture practices in both cultures, where the rice growing Asian culture had a different lifestyle for thousands of years that required consistent hard work which translates in the today's attitude of their kids when trying to solve a math problem.

[Jeff Chandler]

the higher level of thinking the schools are requiring of the primary level children is not developmentally appropriate

Exactly.

[aquila48]

“because of the cultural attitude these kids have towards solving a math problem, or any task that requires patience and effort for a long period of time. “

And where does culture come from? Why do Asians have a “good” culture and black have a failing culture?

The thing that correlates strongly with that is the elephant in the room no one wants to see - the average IQ of the two races.

Asians typically are over 100, blacks are below 85.

With a higher IQ one is more likely to make better choices (what one values) that will serve him better in the long run. And the essence of culture are its values.

And values are the “rules for living” that have developed through millenniums of experience by a society. .

[cableguymn]

Not being taught 3+3=7?
no common core?

[dfwgator]

2+2=5 Radiohead

Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I’ll stay home forever
Where two and two always makes up five

I’ll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April’s showers
And two and two always makes up five

It’s the devil’s way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now

Because you have not been payin’ attention
Payin’ attention, payin’ attention
Payin’ attention
You have not been paying attention
Payin’ attention, payin’ attention
Payin’ attention
You have not been paying attention
Payin’ attention, payin’ attention
Payin’ attention
You have not been paying attention
Payin’ attention, payin’ attention
Payin’ attention, oh, oh

I try to sing along, but the music’s all wrong
‘Cause I’m not, ‘cause I’m not
I swat ‘em like flies, but like flies the buggers keep coming back
And not, but I’m not

All hail to the thief, all hail to the thief
But I’m not, but I’m not
But I’m not, but I’m not
Don’t question my authority or put me in a box

‘Cause I’m not, ‘cause I’m not
Oh, go and tell the king that the sky is falling in
But it’s not, but it’s not
But it’s not, maybe not
Maybe not

[Ann Archy]

BETTER PARENTS AND BETTER TEACHERS!

[DownInFlames]

First, they have a strong family structure to support them, blacks don’t. Second, they are born with strong DNA to get the brain starting early by having 1 father, blacks don’t. 75% of black babies born are out of wedlock and children have multiple fathers who have low IQS as does the mother. This goes all the way back to 1619 where families were separated and sold throughout the English colonies.

[texas booster]

Mandarin has one syllable for the ordinal numbers and its arithmetic functions are simple and easy to learn.

There has been a conviction that math is easier to learn in some languages then others.

What's the Best Language for Learning Maths?

According to a growing body of research, the words that different languages use for numbers can affect how easily we learn to count and understand basic concepts such as fractions.

For children taking their first steps into the world of mathematics, this can mean that some are presented with additional challenges based on the language they speak, while others are offered a head start.

In the mid-1990s, Kevin Miller at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne and colleagues put the idea to the test by comparing the numerical abilities of four- and five-year-olds in the US and mainland China. They found that the children from both countries were equally able to count up to 12, but the Chinese children were about a year ahead of the Americans in their capacity to count to higher numbers.

Further studies suggested that Chinese children find it easier to grasp the basic logic of our "base-10" counting system. Put simply, this is the fact that we use multiples of tens and units to represent numbers and that the order of the digits tells us which is which. In Chinese, this is more obvious: er shi, "two-ten" is easily understood as 2 x 10 = 20. The English word "twenty" doesn't spell this out so clearly.

This research is 20 - 30 years old, so I should catch up with more modern studies.

[Hiddigeigei]

"Culture"
Yes. China has a long history of national exams that if studied for, and did well on, would lead to a government job and prestige regardless of your social or economic background.

[55Ford]

It could be because they cheat.

[BobL]

“There has been a conviction that math is easier to learn in some languages then others. “

Sounds like more excuses by the Left to explain away the fact that they simply DO NOT want American kids well-educated.

[Freee-dame]

Many people in the propaganda media, who are words people, not numbers people, mock people are good at math.

[Freee-dame]

Exactly

[Disambiguator]

Math and music, which are closely related. Music is the sound of math.

[texas booster]

We will know within a generation. If we think that American kids are dumbed down by TikTok, there are even more dedicated users in China.

I was aware of the research way back in my youth, when I worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Look at enough languages over time, and look at how they are different and the common themes among them.

Every language has counting numbers. Some stop at one, two, many, and some go a long way into different number sets.

It can be very fascinating.

[Chickensoup]

Is it true stupidity in education that demands these non developmentally appropriate benchmarks?

I cannot even imagine why they would think that algebraic thinking is even on the table. Formal operations is so rare before age 12 to 14.

I thought that people who educate children would have a basic understanding of child development.

I homeschooled. I cannot imagine anyone letting their children or grandchildren anywhere near the current American Education clownshow.

[brookwood]

There are 10 times as may Indians and Chinese as Americans. We tend to admit only phd level immigrants from these counties. Chances are good the average Chinese in China is no better in math than the average European . But if we bring in enough Haitians our math SATs are sure to go up.

[Jeff Chandler]

Is it true stupidity in education

That and hubris.

I thought that people who educate children would have a basic understanding of child development

Nope.

[Vermont Lt]

It’s because they treat school like a job.

Those kids are working at it all day, and deep into the night. I guess grades are important. But most of those kids, at least in our school district, are asocial and they miss out a lot on the joys of being a young person.

To each his own I guess.

[Vermont Lt]

Probably.

As the youngest of four, I imagine that rule would have resulted in me getting beat up….a lot.

[Vermont Lt]

Memorization and rote work are easy compared to things like new product development. The creative process is not something you are going to do by “driving it into them.”