Mathematics is an important subject in any school curriculum, and it is well known that some countries are better equipped in teaching the subject than others. This article looks into which country contains the toughest maths curriculum, to discover what nation places the greatest value on a strong knowledge of mathematics.
1: Investigating the Different National Maths Curriculums
The first question to being answering which country has the toughest maths is: how do the different national maths curriculums compare? We will have to look at the different requirements which each nation sets for its students in order to gain a comprehensive overview of each nations’ mathematics teaching. One of the first factors to consider is the length of each national curriculum.
For example, the UK Department of Education requires eleven years’ study of the subject and a wide variety of topics, whereas in France a student can expect only eight years of maths study. This would suggest that the UK has a tougher maths curriculum.
However, it’s also important to compare the depth of maths topics which each nation covers in their school curriculum. France is known for its emphasis on algebra and geometry—indeed, the French primary school curriculum is almost exclusively made up of these two topics. Contrastingly, the UK curriculum covers almost all areas of mathematics such as trigonometry, analytical geometry, probability, and statistics.
This approach to maths teaching has been praised for its more wide-ranging nature, suggesting that it is potentially tougher than the French curriculum. Another factor to consider when comparing the maths curriculums is the assessment process.
France places great importance on the Brevet des Colleges, or the Baccalaureate, a national test which all students in the 11th grade must take in order to qualify for further study. The French government believes passing of the test demonstrates a student can handle the difficulties of their university-level studies.
In comparison, the UK has no national tests in the 11th grade and students are instead assessed on the coursework they have done throughout the year and a final exam. This kind of assessment could be considered the tougher option, as it rewards hard work and dedication rather than the ability to pass a specific examination.
2: Examining the Student Performance Statistics
The next thing to consider when identifying which nation has the toughest maths is student performance statistics. Looking at various key performance indicators can help to provide a more in-depth idea of which nation is most committed to their national maths curriculum. As we would expect, the countries that spend the most money per student on maths education seem to have the highest performing students.
The countries which exceed the OECD average of around $200 per student are Finland, Singapore, and Korea. Singapore comes out on top with students in Singapore performing much better in maths than the OECD average.
This could suggest that Singapore has the toughest maths curriculum as spending more money on maths-related resources could indicate that Singapore places the greatest importance on a strong knowledge of mathematics, and therefore having the toughest maths curriculum. However, it is not just the amount of money each nation spends which contributes to maths success. Finland, for example, has a lower per student spend than Singapore, but its students still perform better than the OECD average.
This indicates that factors such as teacher quality, educational methodology, and commitment to maths teaching also contribute to its student’s performance. It is clear that determining which nation has the toughest maths curriculum cannot be achieved by solely looking at the student performance statistics.
3: Assessing the Different Teaching Methods in Schools
When trying to determine which nation has the toughest maths, the next thing to consider is the different teaching methods in the mathematics classrooms of each nation. Each country has its own pedagogical approach to maths teaching which reflects their national values and culture.
In order to understand the difference between each nation’s maths curriculum, it is important to examine the different teaching philosophies within the classrooms. In the UK, the National curriculum emphasises problem-solving skills, which are regularly assessed via exams and coursework throughout the year. These assessments are designed to measure students’ ability to work out mathematical equations, as opposed to rote learning.
Meanwhile, France tends to focus more on rote learning and reciting formulae rather than problem-solving. This could suggest that the French maths curriculum is tougher than the UK’s, as being able to regurgitate maths equations could be seen as a more difficult task than problem-solving.
In Singapore, teaching methods focus on Singapore Math, or models and diagrams, which visualise posers to help students understand them. By using eye-catching diagrams, students are helped to make sense of abstract equations by seeing the underlying concepts. This teaching method is not used in the UK or France, suggesting that Singapore’s maths curriculum could be considered the toughest, as it requires a greater understanding of the subject.
Conclusion
Overall, it is clear that there is no single nation which can be crowned as having the toughest maths curriculum. Each nation has its own unique approach to teaching maths which reflects its national values and culture.
When looking at the different national maths curriculums, it is clear that the UK and France cover a wide variety of topics. However, Singapore places a focus on problem-solving and visualising equations by using models and diagrams, which indicates that its national maths curriculum could be the toughest. Furthermore, the student performance statistics suggest that Singapore’s students perform better than the OECD average, further indicating that it has a tough maths curriculum.