A multiplication test in some of England's primary schools is sparking debate in both the UK and China – where the test originates.
英國部分小學(xué)推行的乘法表測試在中英兩國引發(fā)熱議,乘法表源自中國。
The new multiplication test, or times table check, will be trialed at England’s primary schools in March. Some 7,250 pupils in Year 4 at 290 primaries, are expected to take part in the multiplication check before it becomes mandatory throughout the country in 2020.
今年3月起,英國小學(xué)將試推行這套新的乘法表測試。預(yù)計來自290所小學(xué)的約7250名4年級學(xué)生將參與該測試,之后將于2020年在全英國強(qiáng)制推行。
The test, which assesses knowledge of the times tables up to 12, is believed to be more suitable than the Chinese version which goes up to 9, since the duodecimal system is widely adopted in the UK.
英國人認(rèn)為,這套12*12口算乘法表測試比中國的九九乘法表更適合英國學(xué)生,因為該國廣泛采用的是十二進(jìn)制系統(tǒng)。
The test is extensively favored in Chinese schools, and is being gradually introduced to the UK, following the results of an experiment where British pupils who were taught math in the traditional Chinese way outperformed their peers by 10 percent. The experiment took place at Bohunt School in Hampshire in 2015.
乘法表測試在中國的學(xué)校中廣受歡迎,2015年漢普郡博航特中學(xué)進(jìn)行的一項實驗結(jié)果顯示,通過傳統(tǒng)的中國教學(xué)方式學(xué)習(xí)數(shù)學(xué)的英國小學(xué)生數(shù)學(xué)成績比同齡人高出10%,由此乘法表也將逐步引入英國。
Supporters have hailed the new test, saying it contributes to a grasp of fundamental math.
支持者們對這項新測試表示歡迎,認(rèn)為它對掌握基礎(chǔ)數(shù)學(xué)有幫助。
“We have been teaching [the] times tables in our after school class for over 35 years and without doubt it is the most important skill we give our students,” a reader, whose screen name is “mad scientist,” wrote in a comment on the BBC's website.
網(wǎng)友“mad scientist”在英國廣播公司網(wǎng)站上評論道:“我們的課后班教乘法口訣表已經(jīng)超過35年了,毫無疑問,這是我們傳授給學(xué)生最重要的技能。”
“I still don't know them, and it's been a source of embarrassment to me ever since,” boundah, another reader, said on the same website.
網(wǎng)友“boundah”也在該網(wǎng)站留言稱:“我現(xiàn)在還不會乘法表,這一直讓我很尷尬。”
“Happy for the British pupils! They will do an even better job than their Chinese peers,” said scorpion_wa on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
國內(nèi)微博網(wǎng)友“scorpion_wa”稱:“為英國小學(xué)生感到開心!他們的數(shù)學(xué)要超過中國小學(xué)生了。”
However, not everyone is pleased with the move.
然而,并不是所有人都對這一舉措感到滿意。
“There are so many things wrong with math education in this country that a times table test is really just picking at a sore,” said Mike Cameron on Twitter.
麥克•卡梅隆在推特上稱:“英國的數(shù)學(xué)教育存在太多問題了,乘法口訣表測驗只是治標(biāo)不治本。”
“British students will hate Chinese,” joked Weibo user Bujiubujiu.
微博網(wǎng)友“Bujiubujiu”開玩笑稱:“英國學(xué)生要恨死中國人啦。”
“I believe it is a pressure on them,” said another Weibo user Feixufeixu.
另一位微博網(wǎng)友“Feixufeixu”則表示:“我認(rèn)為這對他們有壓力。”
The UK has been trying to replicate the success of math education in China by encouraging teachers to use a series of textbooks called “Real Shanghai Mathematics,” which have been translated directly from Chinese into English.
為了復(fù)制中國數(shù)學(xué)教育的成功,英國一直試圖倡導(dǎo)教師使用《真正上海數(shù)學(xué)》系列教材,這是一套被翻譯成英文的中文教科書。
Despite these efforts, the question of would a Chinese-style math education work in the UK, still remains to be answered.
盡管英國采取了上述措施,但關(guān)于中國式數(shù)學(xué)教育是否適用于英國的問題仍沒有明確答案。