Chapter 7

Teaching and Learning in K-6 Mathematics Classroom

Man Goo Park

Seoul National University of Education

Abstract
This paper shows the teaching and learning processes and activities of mathematics in
kindergartens and elementary schools in Korea. It also involves an overview of kindergartens
and elementary schools, extracurricular activities and activities after school, and a depiction of
a typical student’s daily life.

I. Introduction
As a highly Confucian society, Koreans have traditionally placed a great importance on
education, not only as a means for success in life, but also as a basic requisite for self-
fulfillment. Today, Korea boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world, and it is well
known that Korea’s well-educated people have been the primary driving force in the rapid
economic growth that the nation has achieved for the past three decades.
Korean students have scored very high in international mathematics performance tests such
as TIMSS. Many mathematics educators from other countries are interested in mathematics
education in Korea. However, Korean mathematics education has not been as publicized
compared to those of other counterparts such as Japan and China. Thus, the presented videos
show mathematics teaching and learning in Korean kindergarten and elementary school. The
videos also include an illustration of the school facilities and a look into a typical student’s daily
life. This will help the audiences understand mathematics education in Korea.

II. School Environment

Kindergarten education is carried out in national, public, and private institutions for pre-
school children aged three to five. Since pre-school education is not compulsory, Korean
families have not considered it as important and necessary as elementary and secondary
education. However, there is emerging recognition of the significance of pre-school education,
and the government has, since September 1999, introduced free pre-school education for



children in rural areas and for low-income families in urban areas. Otherwise pre-school
education is provided by the private sector.
Increasing of dual income families, most children go to many types of nursery schools or
kindergarten before entering elementary schools. Each district has public and private
kindergartens. Most of them are private. The following figure shows the kindergarten
enrollment rates.

(Ministry of Education, 2003)

Kindergarten education aims at providing an appropriate environment for nurturing children

and promoting the wholesome development of children through various pleasant activities and
diversified content and methods of instruction. The curriculum is composed of '
Healthy Life,'
'
Social Life,''
Expressive Life,''
Language Life,'and '
Inquiry Life.'They are taught in an
integrative way, centered around games and plays. Most kindergartens have many kinds of
educational tools and facilities. Children visit many places during the school year to have field
experiences. In principle, kindergarten education is 180 minutes a day and 180 days per year.

Concerning the elementary school system, there are some private schools even though most
schools are public in Korea. However, the school curriculum is almost the same regardless of



differing school systems. Most private schools usually have more various extra-curricular
activities than those of public schools. Each school has some sorts of common facilities in
accordance to the requirement of the ministry of education. Facilities are different from school
to school, but most schools have the facilities such as ICT Center, Structure of school
(playground, swimming pool, gymnasium, etc.), Science classroom, Computer lab, Library,
Etiquette room, Dining hall, Broadcasting room, Kindergarten facilities, Subject teacher’s
rooms, and Faculty meeting rooms.

Regular classrooms have such facilities as a projection TV, an Internet-activated computer

at the teacher’s desk, overhead projector, video camera, and desks and chairs. Some classrooms
have electronic blackboards. Each classroom has storage lockers for students to keep their
belongings. Other than a school library, each classroom has its own small bookshelf where
students can read books at anytime they want.

The main materials for teaching and learning mathematics are the nation wide textbooks,
workbooks, and teacher-made work sheets. School textbooks are compiled by the Ministry of
Education (MOE) with copyrights reserved by the MOE. Each classroom has a backboard on



which students’ work or some special events are displayed. Also, spaces within and outsides of
each classroom display students’ work.

There is no special class for mathematically gifted students in normal schools. The Ministry
of Education and Human Resources Development launched the drafting of the enforcement
ordinance upon the establishment of the Promotion Act for the Education for the Gifted.

The enforcement ordinance passed the legislation notice on December 7, 2001, followed by
the enactment of the Enforcement Ordinance for the Act on the Promotion of Education for the
Gifted on April 18, 2002. There are special institutions including universities to teach higher-
level mathematics to gifted children. However, such education adopts an informal curriculum
carried out during vacation times, after school, and on weekends. Tests and teaching and
learning materials for the gifted will undergo development on a continual basis.
Many elementary schools have special classrooms for the disabled, and specially qualified
teachers to teach them. Special education aims
at providing the disabled with general education,
social adaptability training, and practical
knowledge and skills. It offers a regular
education, remedial education, and vocational
education using proper curricula, teaching
methods, media, and educational tools. Disabled students are accommodated in special schools
or special classes attached to regular schools depending on the degree of their disability. Special
education at the elementary and middle school level is compulsory. At the kindergarten or high
school level special education is offered free of tuition and fees.



 III. Learning and Teaching Mathematics in the Classroom
In this section, teaching and learning mathematics in elementary schools is focused. One
of the prominent features of the 7th curriculum reform is to reflect the academic level of
students and has been devised in order to offer students a variety of opportunities to learn.
During the National Common Basic Education Period from the 1st grade to the 10th grade, a
Level Differentiated Curriculum and an In-Depth and Supplementary Differentiated Curriculum
were established. The Level Differentiated Curriculum is applied to mathematics and middle
school English, while the In-Depth and Supplementary Differentiated Curriculum is applied to
Korean language, social studies, science and elementary school English.
The differentiated curricula can be applied flexibly, taking into full account the unique
situation of each school. Paper and pencil assessments can be given on basic courses, while a
hands-on assessment may reflect in-depth or supplementary content depending on the subject.
After regular classes, each school runs specialized classes for students with learning disabilities
related to mathematical processing. Each school recruits instructors and the local district of
education pays the salaries. For some students who need supplementary study, the instructors
teach mathematics during the vacations.
Each class period is 40 minutes long with a ten-minute break between classes. Students
study 5 to 11 subjects according to their grade levels. The students are allowed to take an
extracurricular activity for one hour each week. Each week, students have a classroom meeting
to discuss various issues. Each class has an elected leader who is responsible for helping the
teacher for delegating responsibilities to other students. In Korea, with the exception of 1st
graders, students are usually responsible for cleaning up their classrooms, restrooms, and other
special rooms.
Schools offer lunch to students for which students have to pay a certain amount, and some
students eat lunch in the dining hall but most students have lunch in their classroom. After lunch,
they are encouraged to go out to the playground for playing and exercise during the recess
period. Some students just spend their time reading books or chatting with friends.


 Regarding instructional methods, most teachers use direct lecturing methods in teaching and
learning mathematics, but recently many teachers have been applying small group activities and
other nontraditional approaches to teaching. Many teachers recognize that asking questions is
very important in teaching and learning mathematics. While teaching students, teachers try to let
many students be cooperative and enthusiastic toward mathematics.
With the advancement of web-based technology, teachers and students can communicate on
the Internet. There are many personal homepages, and official institutions run Teaching and
Learning Development Centers for teachers and students to assist their teaching and learning.

The learning and teaching in the classroom varies from direct instruction to self-directed
learning, problem solving, discussion, and cooperative learning with the help of improved
technology.
Even though most lessons use textbooks and workbooks in the classrooms, teachers use
many types of lessons according to the topics that they teach. In this session, several examples
of real classroom practices are shown as a video presentation.


 In elementary school classrooms, homeroom teachers usually teach mathematics, whereas
in middle schools and high schools there is a separate mathematics teacher. One period lasts for
40 minutes, and a 10- minute break is given between each period. There are approximately 30-
35 students in each classroom. Teachers use the national textbook, workbook, and teacher-made
worksheets to teach various levels of students.
There has been an increasing use of small group activities in teaching and learning
mathematics. A typical lesson starts with a common problem or different problems among
groups, but they cooperatively produce results through small group discussions. This method
enhances mathematical communication among small groups and within the whole class. The
following example shows a general model of a small group activity.

Lesson Using Small Group Activity

The topic of this lesson is application of multiplication. The teacher encourages students to
communicate mathematically through the topic. The students are 2nd graders. The teacher
prepares activity sheets for each student and each small group, materials for the lesson, and a
video camera.
Recap of previous lesson and posing of problem: The teacher goes through a recap of
previously learned content by asking questions to some students and posses the daily topic. A
student explains reversibility of multiplication.

Solving problems in small group activities: The teacher poses a problem from the textbook
and lets the students discuss the problem. Then the teacher distributes activity sheets for small
group activities.


 Internalization of the concept: The teacher encourages groups of students to count the
assigned array of dots in various ways and to compare the multiplication formula. However,
students provide their own interpretations of the array. The teacher emphasizes the variety in the
students’ solving strategies by often noting that “Is there any other way to figure out the number
of dots?” Also, the teacher poses a real world problem and let the students solve the problem.
The teacher poses the textbook problems and distributes activity sheets for small group
activities.

Summary and preview of next lesson: Students check the concepts and processes that have
been learned. The teacher assigns homework and announces the next lesson.

During class, the teacher made groups of students to collaborate with other students.
Students are encouraged to communicate with each other on how they have counted the dots.
The teacher sometimes used the projection television to show the array of dots to the whole
class. It is common for teachers to use projection television sets connected to the Internet and a
video camera. Many teachers use the Internet to access teaching and learning materials or to use
animations.


 Even though many teachers use the authorized workbooks for complementary material,
teacher-made worksheets are used various levels of students. For the different level of students,
teachers usually use differentiated worksheets. The teacher used several types of activity sheets
for small group activities and a worksheet for individual study. Two sample worksheets are
shown below.

Introductory Activity Sheet 1

1. How many dots are there?

2. Explain different solutions. (1)______ (2)_______ (3)_______ (4)________

Activity Sheet 1 for Small Group
Calculate all the number of sides of triangles and quadrilaterals.
Do rock, scissors, and paper game.
The winner puts 7 triangles and the loser puts 5 quadrilaterals.
Calculate all the number of sides of triangles and quadrilaterals.

Triangles Quadrilaterals

The sides of triangles The sides of quadrilaterals

= =
Which one is more? ( )

Inductive Reasoning
Inductive reasoning is drawing out a general idea out of some concrete examples. In a
mathematics class, students find a general rule or pattern from a number table, a series, a
corresponding table, an array, or a design.
The topic of this lesson is 3-dimensional figures. The students are 6th graders. The lesson
covers the mixed form of inductive reasoning, operative exploration, and small group activities.


The topic is identifying circular cylinder in light of the characteristics of circular cylinder. The
teacher prepares activity sheets for each student and each small group, materials for the lesson,
and a video camera.

Activity 1(Classifying figures by various criteria): The teacher starts the lesson by checking
the previously learned 3-dimensional figures. In groups, students are required to classify the
figures according to their own criteria. The teacher encourages students to think of various
criteria and has the student representative of each group to explain their classification.
Activity 2(Defining “circular cylinder” and introduction of the term): Teachers let the
students recall the terms that the students have already learned and name the new figure. By
recalling the terms from the students, students can identify the circular cylinder from other 3-
dimensional figures.
Activity 3(Finding the characteristics of circular cylinder): In small groups, students find
some common characteristics among various circular cylinders that are available on their desks.
Some groups explain their findings in front of the whole class. As a whole group, the teacher
lists the characteristics of circular cylinder to the class. They discuss with a counter example of
the circular cylinder, the slide circular cylinder.
Activity 4(Finding circular cylinder and thinking of its characteristics): After finishing the
activity sheet, some students explain the characteristics of the circular cylinder. The teacher lets
students connect today’s lesson to real-life situations and gives homework, on why cans are
made in circular cylinder shapes, which is an extension of today’s lesson.

For this lesson, the teacher used various materials to draw out a common characteristic
among figures. Deliberate questioning is emphasized. Teachers encourage students to think
about the many aspects of figures.
In another lesson, the teacher proposed students to think of various ways of how to calculate
the area of a trapezoid. In the lesson, the teacher had students use explorative manipulation of
materials to understand the formula. In order to figure out the area of a trapezoid, the following
strategies are several samples recommended to use. Students may use some of them or other
unique ways to calculate the area of a trapezoid.
Many teachers usually follow the scope and sequence suggested in the national textbooks.
The typical process of lessons takes on the following order: looking for a real life situation—


promise and definition—activities—exercises—evaluation. There are various teaching and
learning methods that teachers employ according to topics, teachers’ preferences, and levels of
students. Some teachers use innovative teaching methods such as play, pantomime, talking
aloud with reasoning argument and so forth. Current mathematics curriculum emphasizes
students’ creativity as well as logical reasoning. Thus, many mathematics educators are
developing various materials for teachers to use them in the classrooms.

Teachers have had strong authority to control students in the classrooms. However, since
1999, teachers no longer have the legal authority to administer corporal punishment. This
change has created some confusion as to the boundary of teachers’ authority. Despite these
differences, Korean teachers still have more responsibility in counseling students and
controlling their behavior than do teachers in any other countries around the world. Korean
culture grants teachers the same authority as parents and attributes them even greater
responsibility for children'
s moral and academic development. However, the academic-
achievement-first policy demanded by the parents keeps the teachers away from moral
education.

To improve the teaching and learning methods, the "Teaching/Learning Development

Center" and the "Teaching/Learning Support Center" have been respectively established on a


national and city/provincial education office level. In addition, 20 case study schools for
research purposes have been designated to produce an optimum school management strategy
that can meet the demands of the knowledge-based society.
Teachers try to invoke students’ participation in mathematics lessons by enhancing
students’ interest. The textbooks also introduce many interesting events in the introduction part
of each lesson to motivate students. Teachers sometimes use animations found on the Internet,
movies, play, or even pantomime. Some teachers efficiently use small group activities to have
students discuss mathematical concepts and problem solving strategies. Technological tools
such as calculators and computer programs also are used depending on the topic of lessons.
The Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) is a nationwide public broadcaster,
which specializes in educational and cultural programming. EBS operates four channels: one
terrestrial, two satellites and one FM radio. Through these channels, EBS produces and
broadcasts educational and cultural programs that people from all walks of life can learn and
benefit from, regardless of their age, job or social status. Many schools have all the videotapes
that are sorted by sequence and by grade levels.

Nowadays, thanks to the Internet superhighway, any school can show all the
programs on projection TV using the computer that is hooked up to the Internet. Some
public institutions such as EDUNET provide Cyber teacher services by providing a
network system environment to teachers and schools. The major EDUNET services for
teachers are as follows: Class materials (multimedia data, ICT-based teaching-learning
materials, etc.), Class management (curricula, class management plan, case studies, etc.),
Divisional roles (school affairs, research, etc.), and School management (administration,
steering committee, policymaking, etc.)
The government has continuously conducted the National Scholastic Achievement


Assessment in order to systematically examine and manage the quality of school education of
elementary and secondary school students. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation,
commissioned by the government, has conducted tests on a yearly basis on 6th grade, 9th grade,
10th grade, and 11th grade students. Approximately 1% of all students are selected for the
testing. Test items were provided to the city/provincial education offices for independent testing.
In 2001, about 1.5 million students participated in the assessment.
Schools were provided with assessment standards for each grade and subject, as well as
sample questions that abide by the 7th education curriculum, in order to maintain consistency in
teaching objective--teaching/learning--assessment. The introduction of a new system called
"Student Information Capability Certificate" has been set up to require all students to receive
computer education.

IV. Extracurricular activities after school

After school, most children attend foreign language classes or other private classes such as
mathematics, English, music, art, Taekgwondo, and so forth. Some parents even get private
tutors for their children from as early as primary school, even though this practice was illegal
for many years.
Many parents make great sacrifices to ensure that their children can have the opportunity to
attain a high level of education. Students study very hard for most of the day, attending private
lessons for language and music after regular school hours.
Despite recent reforms to the education system, Korean schools are structured on the basis
of highly regulated rote learning, and almost exclusively centered on college entrance
examinations. Parents spend large amounts of money on private tuition (kwawoe or tutoring) to
prepare their children for college entrance examinations in order that they can gain admission to
a prestigious university. Also, the government is moving towards further reforms aimed at
changing the traditional school culture and introducing a more flexible and creative school
environment.

V. A Student’s Daily Life

Due to attending many types of private institutions, a typical student’s life in Korea is quite
tougher than that of most of other counties. The below chart shows a typical student’s weekly
schedule.


 A Typical Elementary School Student’s Weekly Schedule

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

7:00 Wake up & eat breakfast

8:30 School begins

8:30–8:50 Self-study (e.g., English, Chinese Characters, Math, or NIE)

Morning meeting Morning meeting with vice-

8:50–9:00 Morning meeting with homeroom teacher
with principal principal

9:00–12:00 4 Morning Classes with ten minute breaks

12:10–13:00 Lunch and recess Hakwon (special study, self-

study at home and

13:40–14:30 Afternoon classes (Upper grades)
participation in non-

academic activities
14:30–15:00 Classroom cleaning time
with/without family

15:30–17:50 Hakwon (special study or tutoring) or Extracurricular activities

18:00–21:00 Homework and/or self-study at home /Computer game/ Watch TV

22:00–23:00 Go to bed

Monday Morning Meeting: On Mondays, the entire school gathers in an auditorium or

watches on TV in separate classes a 10 minute long address by the principal. The principal'
s
remarks are meant to inspire and encourage students to achieve their educational goals.
Occasionally, awards will be given out to meritorious students.

8:50–9:00 Morning Meeting: Every morning, the homeroom teacher tells their students
about the day’s events. The teacher will explain what must be done during the day, or announces
upcoming events, such as a class picnic.

Club Activities: Every student belongs to some kind of club. There are many kinds of clubs
based on interests in computers, music, animation, or writing poems. Clubs meet once a week at
a fixed time and will sometimes meet beyond this schedule to carry out their activities. Clubs
also have a festival in the spring or fall, when they may prepare an exhibition, a show, or open a


one-day restaurant.

2:30–3:00 Evening Meeting and Classroom Cleaning Time: Before going home, the
teachers announce what has happened during the day, and whatever is coming up next. Every
day, students are responsible for cleaning up the classroom.

Hakwon: Including attending institutions where students obtain practice with mathematical
problems, many students in elementary school participate in an “elective” class after school,
such as Debate, Piano, Art, Swimming, Taekgwondo and so forth. In middle and high school,
however, most students drop the elective courses to study for the college entrance examination.
In general, a hakwon is a special “cram” school that prepares students for this important
examination.

IV. Closing Remarks

There has been a long tradition in the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, of
which main goal lied in the acquisition of mathematical knowledge and computational skills.
However, many aspects are changing with the enactment of the 7th mathematic curriculum. In
addition to basic mathematical knowledge, differentiated mathematics to students, students’
activity emphasis teaching and learning, and various types of assessments are emphasized.
Aligned with the new curriculum, teachers vary their teaching methods such as using play,
pantomimes, games, puzzles, the Internet and so forth.

References
The Ministry of Education. (2003). Education in Korea 2002-2003. Seoul: Author.
Teaching and Learning Center (2004). Mathematics teaching and learning in the elementary
school. Available at http://classroom.kice.re.kr/kice/index.jsp.