As the first group of 12-year curriculum students are about to complete their first year in university, science and engineering students at top-ranking universities such as National Taiwan University and National Tsing Hua University are reportedly not doing well. Their average scores, especially in general physics, general chemistry and calculus, have declined, the reports said.
As a mathematics teacher at a technical university and vocational high school, I have some thoughts to share.
Before the 12-year curriculum was instituted, trigonometry, complex numbers, inequalities and conic sections were taught as a single unit. Now, these units are distributed across different semesters, making it difficult for teachers to explain these concepts comprehensively and effectively.
As a result, first-year students forget everything when they start their second year and teachers have to start from scratch. This limits the time that can be devoted to learning other units. To solve this problem, some schools asked textbook publishers to revise the content according to the old curriculum, or asked teachers to design their own materials to achieve more satisfying results.
Another factor that has had a great effect on universities is the nation’s low birthrate. In the competition to secure students, some universities try to get a head start by recruiting students who took the General Scholastic Ability Test (GSAT) in January rather than the Advanced Subjects Test in July.
In the same way, most students go for the GSAT and complete the admission process through application or recommendation. This practice leaves out some important mathematical subjects that are not covered in the GSAT. Calculus, for example, has been neglected by many teachers and students, despite its importance. Moreover, many students, after taking the GSAT and completing the admission process, just “zone out” and let go for the rest of their high-school days.
Unsurprisingly, some of them find it difficult to catch up with others when they start university.
Many have said that the 12-year curriculum is designed to raise students’ competency. Teaching materials and test questions are then designed with long readings. Students with lower reading ability would naturally feel tired and annoyed, and their willingness to learn and study wane. All these factors contribute to a deterioration of students’ mathematical skills.
Chung Pang-yu is a mathematics teacher at a vocational high school and a Kaohsiung resident.
Translated by Emma Liu
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