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CHAPTER IMPROVEMENT OF CONTENT OF- EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENTOF ABILITY

The main objectives of mathematics education in Japanese elementary and secondary schools are as follows:

l) To deepen pupils' understanding about the fundamental ideas, principles and laws of quantity and figures.

2) To guide pupils to acquire basic knowledge of and master basic skills in quantity and figures.

3) To develop the ability to express the character and relations of quantity and figures imply and clearly.

4) To develop pupils' ability to consider things mathematically as well as the ability and attitude to reason logically on the basis of established facts.

5) To foster the attitude to utilize mathematics positively. The results of the scholastic achievement tests administered every year since 1956 to the elementary and secondary school pupils by the Ministry of Education on a national scale show that the elementary and lower secondary school pupils as a whole have gradually attained higher and higher scores and the upper secondary school students have also attained considerably high levels, especially in such basic questions as test the ability to solve equations. However, ability to apply or to think is not satisfactory yet. A comparative study of the standards of achievement in Japan and in the other advanced countries has presented the following facts; the standards of mathematics education in Japan, were formerly lower than in the other countries, but the discrepancy has been reduced and in some instances,e1imiu?ated, as a result of the curriculum revision made in 1958 for the elementary and lower secondary schools, and in 1963 for the upper secondary schools.

By way of example, quadratic equations, quadratic functions, the Pythagorean Theorem, etc. are taught in the other countries at the same grade as in Japan. However, differential calculus, integral calculus, probability and statistics are taught to all upper secondary school students in Japan which is rarely the case in the other countries.

In recent years, realizing the importance of mathematics education, many countries in the world are trying to improve the content and method of mathematics education, independently or in cooperation with other countries. For example, International Committee of Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) started its study in 1958 on the role to be played by mathematics education in the content of secondary education. In Europe and the U.S.A., researches are being conducted and seminars organized with an aim to improve mathematics education. Especially in the U.S.A., the College Entrance Examination Board, usually called CEEB, and many other organizations are involved in such research. New textbooks are also being prepared by some organizations. Among such organizations, the largest is the School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG) comprising mathematicians, scientists, high school teachers, educators, and psychologists, which is active in preparing new textbooks and in conducting training of teachers for the purpose of improving the content and method of mathematics instruction so that high school students may obtain deeper understanding of basic mathematical concepts and structures as well as basic skills.

In Japan, more and more interest is shown in this new trend. However, many problems still remain to be solved regarding how such new content and method should be adopted in elementary and secondary schools.