We use the maths curriculum of Beijing Normal University, which pays more attention to the combination of maths and life, and develops children's problem-solving ability. The maths team teaches the core knowledge in Chinese first, and then expat teachers teach in English to deepen the understanding of concepts.
English maths uses Oxford International Primary School textbooks. Based on this, expat teachers will further extend, and focus on preparing for IGCSE-style exams.
At BMH, P1 students have one maths lesson in English and three maths lessons in Chinese every week. As they move up to higher year groups, the number of maths lessons and the ratio of maths lessons in English will gradually increase.
When entering P4, students will be taught in different sets according to their maths and English ability, so that each student can get the best instruction. In different sets, the ratio of English maths lessons to Chinese maths lessons per week varies. Able children can further experience the challenges brought by English maths on the basis of Chinese maths, while less able children can lay a good foundation in the Chinese environment.
In English maths lessons, you can often see the following scene. Each student has a mini whiteboard. After the teacher counts down 3, 2, 1, they will hold up the whiteboard together and show the answers on the whiteboard to the teacher.
▲Parents experienced English maths lesson at a coffee morning
Mr Woods, Head of Maths, often carries two highlighters of different colours, one orange and one green. Every day in class, he uses them to mark each student’s work on the spot and gives them timely feedback.
These are based on the modern best-practices used in leading British schools. In the student-centred classroom, he will design three types of questions of different difficulties, so that students of different abilities can practise what they have learned.
Not only does this keep every child engaged in the classroom, it is also the best way for teachers to see what their students have mastered. If there is a common misunderstanding or problem, the teacher will explain it again, and will also focus on the follow-up exercises on this knowledge point.
Evaluating students' understanding at each stage of the course to ensure the efficiency and delivery of the class guarantees the quality of the English maths lessons.
Efficient bilingual maths system
Maths may be a subject that many children find difficult and boring. It is even more of a challenge if they need to learn maths in two languages. Therefore, the maths team has worked hard to teach students in accordance with their aptitude, build a complete maths curriculum, and help students develop all-round mathematical thinking.
In both Chinese maths lessons and English maths lessons, teachers will guide children to carry out inquiry-based learning. Teachers’ lecture is only a small part of the lesson, while students have more initiatives.
Let students ask questions by themselves, discuss and communicate with their peers, and find solutions by themselves. It is in this process that they can find the joy of maths and fully understand complicated theorems.
After class, we also provide students with comprehensive maths support. When you walk into an English maths classroom, you will see bilingual maths displays. Students immerse themselves in each lesson and learn maths vocabulary.
Every week we have maths clubs during CCA time, where children of all year groups can get involved, explore interesting and problem-solving activities in real life under the guidance of professional teachers, and prepare for international maths competitions at the same time. We have also specially set up after-school enhancement classes for P5 and P6 students to help them prepare for upcoming exams.
Maths is a comprehensive subject and a tool for reasoning and logic. With the help of maths, children can travel in a wide universe. We hope that what students obtain in maths class is not the answer to a certain problem, but unlimited imagination and creativity.
