向中国取经！60位上海教师赴英国教数学

Teachers from China will be sent into English schools as part of a taxpayer-funded programme designed to raise education standards, it will be announced today.

今日资讯报道，作为纳税人基金赞助项目的一部分，中国老师将被派往英国的学校来提高教育水平。

For the first time, a team of 60 teachers from high-performing schools in Shanghai will be hired in an attempt to promote Chinese-style teaching methods in the state education system.

由60名教师组成的队伍全部来自上海重点学校，他们将首次被聘请，力图在英国教育系统中促进中国式教学方法。

The reforms – covering maths – will involve on-the-job training for teachers in England alongside high-level master-classes for pupils.

在数学教育方面的改革，还包括培训当地的中学数学老师。

It comes amid concerns that schoolchildren in England are underperforming compared with their peers in the Far East in subjects seen as vital to the nation’s economic future.

这一项目的实施，主要源于英国学生的数学水平普遍低于远东地区的同龄人，而数学对于国家的经济发展至关重要。

International league tables published late last year suggested that 15-year-olds were the equivalent of three years behind those in Shanghai and between one and two years behind pupils from Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.

去年发布的国际排行榜显示，15岁英国中学生的数学水平普遍比上海落后三年，比新加坡、香港、韩国和日本落后一到两年。

Elizabeth Truss, the Education Minister, who took part in a fact-finding visit to China last month, said the Government was “determined to drive up standards in our schools and give our young people the skills they need to succeed in the global race”.

英国教育部长Elizabeth Truss上个月对中国进行了实地考察，表示英国政府“立志提高学校的教育水平，让年轻人学习必备的技能从而在全世界比赛中脱颖而出。”

But the move has been attacked by teachers’ leaders in England who claimed evidence of the success of Shanghai schools had been overstated.

然而这一举动遭到了英国教师领袖的抨击，他认为上海学生数学水平绝对是言过其实，有夸大之嫌。

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said Shanghai was home to the “wealthiest and most highly educated” Chinese and international league tables failed to take account of performance in rural provinces.

国家教师协会的总秘书长Christine Blower 说，上海饱含“最富有、教育水平最高的”中国人，而国际联盟没有把中国的偏远地区包含在内。

“Good maths comes with constant practise but there seems to be an aversion to practise in this country. We have a lot to learn from China.”

“数学好源于坚持不懈的练习，然而英国人普遍厌恶它。这方面我们需要多向中国学习。”

Under a deal struck with Shanghai’s Municipal Education Commission, up to 60 English-speaking maths teachers will be brought over to work in state schools for at least a month.

在和中国市政府教育机构紧密沟通之后，60个会说英语的数学老师将赴往英国开始为期至少一个月的教育工作。

From the autumn, they will be based in 30 new maths “hubs” – accredited schools that specialise and lead on maths teaching across a wide geographical area.

从秋天开始，他们将会分布在30个新的数学“中心”——这些都是全国范围内旨在发展数学领军数学教育经过合格认证的学校。

DfE officials said the Chinese teachers will mainly train their English counterparts, focusing on areas such as helping struggling pupils with one-to-one coaching sessions, setting challenging homework and ensuring feedback is effective. It could also involve master-classes for pupils.

英国教育部官员说中国教师主要负责训练他们的英国老师，集中领域包括帮助学习困难的学生进行一对一的教学，设置有难度的作业以及保证有显著成效。这还包括对小学生的更深层教育。

At the same time, two maths teachers from each of the 30 hubs will travel to Shanghai to get additional training in Chinese methods. The entire programme will cost around £11m.

与此同时，每个中心还会派出2名数学老师来上海学习中国的教育模式。整个项目大概预计花费在1100万英镑。

Mrs Truss said: “As part of our long term economic plan, we are determined to drive up standards in our schools and give our young people the skills they need to succeed in the global race.

Truss表示：“作为我们长期经济计划的一部分，我们立志提高学校的教育水平让年轻人学到他们得以立足的技能。”

“Good maths qualifications have the greatest earnings potential and provide the strongest protection against unemployment.

“高数学水平有可能带来高薪，以及能有效抵抗失业风险。”

“We have some brilliant maths teachers in this country but what I saw in Shanghai – and other Chinese cities – has only strengthened my belief that we can learn from them. They have a can-do attitude to maths and I want us to match that, and their performance.”

“我们的确有很厉害的数学老师，但当我观察了上海以及中国其他城市，不得不坚信我们可以向中国学习。他们那种对数学有一种一切皆可能的态度，我希望我们能做到像他们那样。”