ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

American Math Teaching Methods in China (1900–1950): A Case Study of Thorndike, Schultze, Pólya

• In Event: New Perspective on the Histories of Mathematics

English Abstract

After the New Culture Movement, Chinese education shifted from "learning from Japan" to "learning from the United States". The introduction of American mathematics teaching methods, in particular, had a profound impact on mathematics education in China. By studying Edward Thorndike's research on the psychology of mathematics learning, Arthur Schultze's pedagogical approaches to mathematical content, and George Pólya's studies on problem-solving thinking, we can comprehensively examine the dissemination and influence of American mathematics teaching methods in China during the first half of the 20th century. This still holds significant reference value for current mathematics education research. Through the medium of the Chinese translations of "Teaching Arithmetic in Primary Schools", "The Teaching of Mathematics in Secondary Schools", and "How to Solve It", it is found that mathematics teaching methods during this period shifted from neglecting learning conditions to focusing on child psychology, from being theoretical to life-oriented, and from knowledge indoctrination to thinking cultivation. This provided methodological guidance for textbook compilation and classroom teaching, actively promoting the modernization of mathematics education in China and laying the foundation for modern mathematics teaching methods.

Authors

• CHEN , Miao, Inner Mongolia Normal University

• ZHANG Xiaoxue, Inner Mongolia Normal University

• DAI Qin, Inner Mongolia Normal University