Scholar criticizes Taiwan's math education
Professor Lee Chia-tung says teachers in Taiwan often sacrifice fundamental math skills for sake of exam scores
Tsinghua University Honorary Professor Lee Chia-tung (李家同) has called for attention to be paid to the fundamentals of math education, noting that mathematical ability among college students is falling short of expectations due to a problematic education system.
He did so when responding to news that the Tsai administration is spending out on a space program costing NT$25.1 billion (US$832 million). Lee believes the money would be better spent on education.
“Some students erase the fundamentals of math from their memory once they’ve started college,” Lee said an engineering professor once complained to him. Some students haven’t the faintest idea about the Pythagorean theorem, he added.
Lee also said a tech CEO told him the company engineers had no clue how trigonometric functions work, a basic math skill they should have learned in junior high school.
Lee pointed out that many teachers in Taiwan overlooked the basics of math to pass extremely difficult math tests, per UDN.
The same goes for other academic subjects. Lee noted that many Taiwanese students were not familiar with basic English grammar.
Disregard for teaching the fundamentals is widespread in Taiwan, according to Lee. He also lashed out at the education system’s inability to provide a well-rounded education, claiming education emphasizes academic achievement over physical training. Read More…
