Math, or Yet Another Reason that Putting in the Time Makes a Difference

It's a trusim that Asians are good at math.  It shows in international rankings, where Asian students consistently outperform their non-Asian peers, and in US test scores broken out by ethnicity; Asian students consistently outperform their non-Asisan American peers.  Why?  Genetics?  Tiger moms?  Rice paddies?

Gladwell posits that the discipline required to be a successful rice farmer is the underlying reason that Asian students do so well in math.  His detailed dissection of the neverending, intricate process of rice farming leads him to conclude that a cultural tradition of attention to detail and the willingness to make consistent, difficult effort leads to success not only in the rice paddy, but also in the classroom.  It extends the argument he made earlier in the book about putting in the time. 

He also examines circumstances where American students, given time and encouragement, grasp concepts and make strides in understanding.  Most students give up too quickly, which, whether due to the influence of the rice paddy or something else, most Asian students do not.

I had the opportunity to attend a high school math award ceremony this spring.  In his opening remarks, Dr. deCraene, the math department chair, asked the 150 or so students who were there to receive awards (it's a big high school) to stand if they had:

• attended morning support
• asked a teacher for help
• asked a friend for help
• sought tutoring
• sought assistance from any other source, or
• taken more than a day to complete a problem

As you might imagine, by the time he was finished, all of the students were standing.  And before commending them on their performance in math, he commended them for their hard work, which he noted will serve them well in math and in life.

How grateful I am for teachers who acknowledge difficulty and then support, encourage, push and pull kids through the swamp of confusion that sometimes/oftentimes precedes understanding!  American kids can do math, but how often do we give them what they need to do it?  Is that the root of the problem with our system of education?