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ICEM 3. Values, Tradition, and Daily Practice in Math Class: The Cultural Clash between New Immigrant Teachers from the FSU and Israeli Teachers Miriam Amit, Israel amit@bgu.ac.il. Lomonosov.
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ICEM 3 • Values, Tradition, and Daily Practice in Math Class: • The Cultural Clash between New Immigrant Teachers from the FSU and Israeli Teachers • Miriam Amit, Israel • amit@bgu.ac.il
Lomonosov The quote “ Why do we learn mathematics? Because it organizes our mind” is attributed to the famous eighteenth century Russian mathematician, scientist, poet and linguistics reformer, Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765) Lena, who Immigrated to Israel in 1995, recalls wistfully, yet with pride, that she yearns for order, clarity, and a sense of belonging.
Order in life Lomonosov’s inspiring message resounds far beyond mathematics. The importance of “order” in life as stemming from mathematics is part of an ongoing cultural legacy.
This maxim, however, runs counter to the view of mathematics held by “old timers” math teachers in Israel who see their discipline as a vehicle for developing critical and creative thinking.
immigrants When Lena and many other Soviet immigrants arrived in Israel, they suddenly found themselves in a strange culture based on an entirely different value systems.
What is this lecture about? This lecture deals with the cultural encounter in mathematics education, as experienced by mathematics teachers, all recent immigrants from the FSU, who integrated into the Israeli educational system.
The research goal Our research goal has been to identify the differences between two mathematics education cultures - that of the FSU until the early 90’s, and that of Israel from the 1990’s to 2005 - as perceived by new immigrant math teachers.
Sources of data • Data is based on personal interviews with immigrant and veteran Israeli teachers, video taped sessions and open discussions.
Culture, Values and Mathematics The international research community of mathematics educators has long claimed that an inseparable link exists between mathematics education and values, culture, and society. (Bishop, 1988; Amit, 2000)
Certainly the main theme of this conference – - testifies to this view.
Neutral mathematics However in society at large math is perceived as a neutral discipline, void of cultural affinity. Therefore, it is commonly thought that mathematics can easily be transferred from one country or culture to another, without undue crisis or conflict. This perception was found to be far from the truth.
Mathematics education in societies undergoing transition. We do not claim to cover every facet of this cultural encounter, but the following may reflect with considerable accuracy the phenomenon of mathematics education in societies undergoing transition.
A wave of mathematics teachers During the 1990’s nearly 900,000 immigrants from the FSU came to Israel – a 15% percent addition to the country’s population of 6 million. Many of the new arrivals had academic degrees in science, engineering, medicine, and music.
math is “neutral” On the assumption that math was “a neutral, non-ideological discipline, that is, a field of study that lacked values or cultural affinity,” thousands of immigrant teachers, as well as engineers, got a certificate provided they knew some Hebrew, and joined the school system.
Confidence and adjustments The halo surrounding Soviet mathematicians contributed to the immigrant teachers’ self-confidence and the expectation that their adjustment into the system would be immediate. This presumption proved to be mistaken.
A waste of time?! Tamara (22 years of experience, Ph.D. in mathematics) said about the teacher training course: “…At first I thought that the course had nothing to offer me . . . I thought that with my experience as a teacher I could just go to work. [I was sure] that the course would be a waste of time, a mere formality, and that I’d sit there for a year, and begin work the following year - Was I ever wrong !
“…. I was sure I would be able to step into a classroom and begin teaching math. [I thought that] while people’s natures are naturally somewhat different, traditional mathematics is the same everywhere, and there is no need to go to an absorption center. Taiti- I was wrong”
cracks In the absorption process, a great dissonance exists between FSU teachers’ confidence in their undeniably successful pedagogical heritage, and their ability to prove the same success in their new country . This dissonance has created cracks not only in the immigrant culture, but also in Israel’s mathematical-educational culture.
The dilema of immigrant teachers Almost no literature. In an enculturation system, the teacher is, by definition, theguardian of the cultureand thedisseminator of values. Herein lies the dramatic dilemma: which culture and which values should they transmit – the old ones that they were brought up on, lived by and respected, or the new ones from which they feel somewhat alienated?
Analysis process In the first stage of the interviews we asked general fact-finding questions in order to obtain a clear picture of the structure and principles on which the Soviet Union’s education system had been built. Based on this information we tried to critically dissect the general concept of ‘cultural differences,’ and understand the ‘day-to-day’ reality from which the teacher came, and compare it with the Israeli reality.
Attitudes towards education “First of all the attitude (towards education) was extremely positive, granting it enormous prestige. Education was considered a goal in its own right, as well asa key to a better way of life, higher social position, and larger income. This was the Soviet view. In Israel there are other paths to success, such as opening a business.”
Vospitanie The Soviet government placed mathematics on the highest pedestal. Teachers and educators regarded math and science as vital tools in developing “upbringing” (vospitanie - in Russian, éducation– in French, Erziehung – in German) (Muckle, 1988), and saw themselves as agents of the mathematics culture in the Soviet Union.
What happened in the culture encounter? From the immigrant teachers’ view of mathematics education: Two mathematics education cultures exist, each basically different from the other. Both reflect the general culture and educational-pedagogical perception of math instruction in each country – FSU and Israel.
In the FSU In the immigrants’ country of origin, everyday life was highly centralized, especially in the educational system - from the state level, via the school, down to the classroom. The approach was rigid and authoritarian. It strove toward uniformity, to the point of relinquishing choice, while emphasizing order, discipline, strict supervision and consistent follow-up: "We knew exactly what was permitted and forbidden. There was a sense of order”.
The teaching profession was held in respect, especially teachers of math and the sciences. The state and society gave math, science, and technology the highest priority, and provided enough resources to attain this goal. Competitiveness and achievement-oriented approaches were encouraged.
Israel in the FSU’s teachers’ view FSU immigrant math teachers view their new culture as: • Overly flexible and lacking centralization. • Pupils are given too many choices; • Individuality and autonomy are overstressed; • An exaggerated inclination toward cooperation, rather than competitiveness, prevails in the learning environment.
The Israeli education system seems to be bent on providing equal opportunity to all, instead of enhancing talented pupils. • Although officials and agents of culture in Israel ballyhoo the priority of math and science studies, when it comes to the practical realization of this statement, Israel lags far behind the FSU.
Centralization versus “free market” • In the FSU, the state decides all aspects of the educational curriculum (books, scope, pace, sequence) whereas in Israelthe approach resembles a “free market” to a certain extend.
Running in many directions As for learning materials and pedagogical approaches, in Israel the choices and tendencies run in many directions. This poses a difficulty for immigrant teachers who were accustomed to an authoritarian culture.
Freeing the teacher from being free The USSR Academy of Pedagogical Sciences (APN) explicitly stated: “Research …. frees teachers from repeated trial and error, from discovering what science already knows, and applying ideas that are unrealistic for the ordinary school.” (Autotov,P.R. Babansky,Yu.K. in Dunston, J. Suddaby, 1992. p.9) In other words, the system “freed the teacher” from the need to be liberated, ambitious, and independent.
Against the constructivist theory Another obstacle that teachers who came from a centralized authoritative culture faced was the difficultly in accepting autonomy, the investigativeapproach, and the constructivist theory, that were widespread in Israel during the 1990’s.
What is wrong with a good explanation? “There [in FSU] we knew how to teach properly and we succeeded at it; we knew what was best for them [the students] . . . Student cannot discover math rules on their own . . Why should they have to? We can teach them the correct ones . . . The students’ role is to learn in any situation; they must practice continuously, become organized, then their minds will be orderly . . . What is wrong with a good explanation?”
Criticism = humiliation Immigrant teachers found it hard and sometimes even humiliating, to accept the involvement in and occasional criticism of their teaching performance by parents and students, as is common in Western countries. I can see your mistake, professor!
Hard work vs. hard thinking These differences were strongly rooted in the values and pragmatic reality At the ethical level: 1. Hard work was an important value in the Soviet regime. “Soviets hold that complex calculations inculcate good habits of hard work, while British (and others in the West) feel that mathematics is a subject [that teaches that] by hard thinking it is possible to avoid hard work.” (Muckle, J.Y., 1988, p. 58)
Algebraic techniques • Simplify: . פשט: Answer:
Algebraic techniques • Algebraic techniques is a mathematical topic that serves as a major point of contention between immigrant teachers from the FSU and experienced Israeli teachers.
Thinking or Doing • Tamara describes her first visit to an Israeli school: • “ There, [In the FSU] enormous emphasis was placed on algebraic technique… here, this has no influence on “mathematical thinking” even though it. should. The first time I arrived at a school with a solid reputation I had been asked to prepare a sample lesson. Of course I wanted the job so I chose the most interesting problems for the class. During the lesson, when we found how to solve a problem we realized that the solution required a quadratic equation (or equations) system. I said: well, from here you do it by yourself…. Eventually one pupil came up to me and said that I had explained ‘the easy things but not the hard stuff.’For him and many others the ‘thinking part’ was easy but the equations were hard. (
Process vs. Product Is it enough to design the building? Later, after I began teaching, I realized that the problem [with the Israeli system] is that it emphasizes “mathematical thinking” but ignores “technique.” In this way the pupils are like engineers who know how to design a building, but not how to actually build it. I think this is really the basic difference between mathematics teaching in Israel and the FSU.”
calculatory culture The goals of algebra study, see, Muckle, J.Y., AGuide to the Soviet Curriculum; What the Russian Child is Taught in School, (1988). Themeta-goal of algebra teaching in the Former SovietUnion is to raise the level of the pupils “calculatory culture “.
Gershon – an Israeli point of view • Gershon – an experienced Israeli teacher, believes that: • The development of critical thinking in mathematics • serves as a tool for critical thinking in life, and needs to • be inculcated at an early age when the child’s thinking • patterns are being shaped. • That critical understanding and thinking are not the • exclusive birthrights of the intellectual elite, but belong • to everyone. The quest for equality influences the • perception of mathematics teaching.
The transformation immigrant teachers undergo The final question was: had your teaching experience in Israel changed your views on the aims of mathematics education and the ways of teaching it? Replies varied.
The transformation immigrant teachers undergo Leonid claimed that no change had taken place in his personal views on math, but, he had trouble defining the goals of math teaching. Olga , who came from the “top of the mathematics education pyramid” in the FSU, assured us that no changes had occurred in her personal view on mathematics education.
The transformation immigrant teachers undergo Lena experienced a genuine conceptual change. She was confused about her views of society’s attitude toward mathematics: “It seems to me now that what went on [in the FSU] was a bit exaggerated. A child who failed to make the grade in math was considered worthless . . .” Lena’s pervious certitude in the social importance of mathematics has begun to crack. Irena was the only interviewee who claimed that her outlook had swung around “180 degrees.” She now sees the purpose of math instruction as the opportunity to provide a useful, accessible tool for everyone. She is looking for methods that simplify mathematics . Tamara.. almost gave up manipulations…
