It is often said that Asian students are very strong in mathematics, several heads ahead of their European and North American colleagues. This is not a stereotype, as demonstrated by the results of the latest edition of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) survey, the program promoted by the OECD with the aim of evaluating the education level of adolescents in the countries ( 65) participating in the project. In mathematics and science, Asia leads the way, with China first, Singapore second, Hong Kong third, Taiwan fourth, South Korea fifth, Macao (Special Administrative Region of China, like Hong Kong) in sixth and Japan in seventh. The highest placed European country is Lichtenstein (eighth place), followed by Switzerland and the Netherlands (Italy, for the record, occupies the thirty-second position).
However, it's quick to say Asia, the experts comment, we need to make the necessary distinctions. Even simply scrolling through the names of the states that occupy the top positions, in fact, one immediately realizes that, with the exception of Singapore, they are all East Asian countries. To find another Southeast Asian nation you have to go down to number 17, where Vietnam is located, while Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are much easier to find by starting to read the list from the bottom. But why are students from East Asian countries so clearly ahead of others? This is the question asked by Professor John Jerrim of UCL (University College London), and the answer was: Confucianism. According to this research, it is the Confucian ethics, therefore, that lies behind the excellence in the studies of young Asians. "The mindset and motivations East Asian parents instill in their children," says Jerrim, "are major contributors to children's academic success." Education ministers in some Southeast Asian countries wondered what could be done to inspire their students to emulate their Chinese and Korean peers. One cannot become a Confucian overnight and so, adopting a more realistic point of view, they turned to improving pedagogical techniques and teaching methodologies. Thailand, for example, has asked Australia for help, which has sent a task force of teachers to support Thai colleagues and introduce them to the latest news on mathematics education.
Confucius is very current