The superior performance of East Asian students in recent international studies of mathematics achievement has attracted the attention of educators and policy makers worldwide. Xinrong Yang focuses on exploring how an expert mathematics teacher is conceptualized by mathematics educators in China and the characteristics that expert mathematics teachers share. The author adopts a sociocultural theory and a prototypical view of conception in this study of teacher expertise and shows that some of the roles expected to be played by expert mathematics teachers in China, such as being at the same time a researcher, a mentor, an expert in examination, and an exemplary model, are quite different from the roles expected of an expert teacher in Western cultures. In addition, some characteristics of expert mathematics teachers the author identifies are different from those reported in previous studies. Examples include the expert mathematics teachers ́ contemporary-constructivist oriented beliefs about mathematics and its learning and teaching, and their ability to teach with flexibility, balance, and coherence.​

How Chinese Teach Mathematics and Improve Teaching builds upon existing studies to examine mathematics classroom instruction in China. It combines contributions from Chinese scholars with commentary from key Western scholars to offer a truly systematic examination of some important and distinctive features of mathematics classroom instruction. Viewing classroom instruction as part of teachers' instructional practices, this book goes beyond teachers' in-classroom instructional practice by also examining Chinese teachers' approaches and practices in developing and improving teaching. Through this unique approach, How Chinese Teach Mathematics and Improve Teaching expands and unpacks the otherwise fragmented knowledge about Chinese practices in developing and carrying out mathematics classroom instruction.

This dissertation, "Conception and Characteristics of Expert Mathematics Teachers in China" by Xinrong, Yang, 杨新荣, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. DOI: 10.5353/th_b4514320 Subjects: Mathematics teachers - China

This book is a narrative inquiry that focuses on four participating Chinese teacher candidates’ cross-cultural learning in Canada and stories of induction in Southwest China. Through the lens of “three-dimensional inquiry space” and “reciprocal learning in teacher education,” the author explores the influence of cross-cultural experiences on the dissonance of pedagogies, teacher-student relationships, socialization, and beliefs about teaching and learning that interweave global and national curriculum boundaries. The chapters provide insight into how Chinese beginning teachers struggle to voice and to socialize among a cacophony of past practices, lived experiences, and cross-cultural experiences.

More than ever, students need to engage with mathematical concepts, think quantitatively and analytically, and communicate using mathematics. All these skills are central to a young person’s preparedness to tackle problems that arise at work and in life beyond the classroom.