Beyond Asian and Western Traditions of Mathematics Education

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a robust examination of perspectives of mathematics education in Asia and then speculate on future global developments in mathematics education. In this chapter, we view education and in particular instruction as cultural practices. We designate Asia as a cultural tradition rather than a political system or geographic region. This cultural tradition is often characterized as the Confucian heritage cultural (CHC) tradition. We discuss five key questions, each of which represents a rich area of cultural traditions of mathematics education in Asia: (a) What do we want students to learn in mathematics? (b) Is memorization learning? (c) Do highly structured lessons limit the development of students’ thinking? (d) Is effective teacher professional learning an individual or collective practice? (e) What is the best form of parental involvement in students’ learning? As we explore each question, we begin by elaborating a tradition and then draw on empirical data to illustrate the tradition, following which we provide a contrast with European Heritage School Mathematics (EHSM). This chapter ends with a view of potential future global developments in mathematics education which may extend beyond or cross over the roots of CHC tradition.