Mathematics education reform in Hong Kong

This paper presents an overview of mathematics education in Hong Kong and the education reform it is experiencing. The original mathematics curricula had been successful in certain ways (as demonstrated by the achievements of Hong Kong students who placed fourth in TIMSS); however, there were also negative aspects. The revision in both primary and secondary mathematics education aims to shift the emphasis to the development of thinking abilities and positive attitudes of students towards learning the subject. Mathematics is expected to provide a basis for making investigations as well as a tool for analyzing data, representing findings, and formulating theories. Teachers are encouraged to adopt a student-centered, activity-based, and hands-on approach to organize students’ learning, and to make use of concrete examples from everyday life whenever possible. Student learning is expected to progress from concrete to abstract, and calculators and computers are expected to be used to facilitate student learning. Some implications of these approaches are also discussed.