Why read this: This short text gives students a clear, friendly window into two very different ways of teaching math. The two-country comparison is concrete (one teacher vs. a math specialist; teachers planning alone vs. planning together), so B1 readers can follow the main ideas without getting lost in academic language. The article is also a good model of balanced thinking. The researcher does not say one country is better than the other. She finds good points on both sides. This helps students practise reading a fair, two-sided argument at a manageable level.
What to notice: Watch for the two main contrasts in the text. The first is the contrast between a generalist teacher (one teacher, many subjects) and a specialist math teacher (one subject, many classes). The second is between teaching alone and teaching together. Both contrasts use simple linking words like "but," "in contrast," and "even though." The numbers in paragraph 2 are also worth slowing down for: notice how the percentages drop from Grade 3 to Grade 6, and what that pattern suggests. Finally, look at the last paragraph. The researcher uses careful, soft language ("should be proud," "keep learning," "step by step") instead of strong demands. This is a common B1 style for giving an opinion politely.
Skills practised: Comparing two systems, reading and interpreting simple percentages, and following a writer who gives a fair, balanced opinion. Students also practise reading concession-contrast sentences ("X is good, but Y could be better"), which are very common in B1 reading tests. The two glossed terms ("specialist teacher" and "teacher collaboration") give a chance to talk about how everyday words can have a special meaning in education. The comprehension questions move from simple facts to a light inference about the researcher's wider message.
What Canada and China Can Learn About Teaching Math
Two countries teach math in very different ways. A researcher says each side has something useful to show the other.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
What is the best way to teach math in primary school? In Canada and in China, teachers answer this question in very different ways. A recent research project looked at both systems and asked a simple question: can each country learn something useful from the other? A researcher in Ontario, Canada, says the answer is yes.
The study began with test results from Ontario, a large province in Canada. In 2024 to 2025, about 64 per cent of Grade 3 students reached the expected level in math. Only 51 per cent of Grade 6 students reached it. Students also enjoyed math less as they got older. In Grade 3, 67 per cent said they liked math. By Grade 6, only 48 per cent did. The results are slowly getting better after the pandemic, but there is still a lot of work to do.
The two systems are not the same. In Ontario primary schools, one teacher usually teaches all subjects, including math. In China, math is taught by a who only teaches math. From 2016 to 2019, the researcher helped run a "Sister School Network" between a school in Windsor, Canada, and a school in Chongqing, China. Teachers met online every month. They shared lessons on topics like fractions and multiplication, and they talked about how to help students.
The Chinese teachers liked many things about the Canadian system. They liked that Canadian schools give strong support to students who learn in different ways. They also liked that Canadian teachers have a lot of freedom to choose how they teach. One Chinese teacher with more than 20 years of experience said she wished China had the same kind of support for students with special needs.
The Canadian teachers learned useful ideas from China too. In Chinese primary schools, math teachers often plan their lessons together and watch each other teach. This kind of is much less common in Canada, even though many Canadian teachers say they would like more of it. Chinese math lessons also have a clear final step. At the end of a lesson, the teacher pulls the key ideas together and shows students how the different methods connect. The researcher says Canadian classrooms could do more of this clear wrap-up at the end of a lesson, so that students remember what they have learned.
The researcher does not want a full change to the Canadian system. She thinks Canada should be proud of what its math teaching already does well, but should also keep learning from other countries. Good changes, she says, happen step by step. They build carefully on what already works, instead of throwing the old system away and starting again.
What is the best way to teach math in primary school? In Canada and in China, teachers answer this question in very different ways. A recent research project looked at both systems and asked a simple question: can each country learn something useful from the other? A researcher in Ontario, Canada, says the answer is yes.
The study began with test results from Ontario, a large province in Canada. In 2024 to 2025, about 64 per cent of Grade 3 students reached the expected level in math. Only 51 per cent of Grade 6 students reached it. Students also enjoyed math less as they got older. In Grade 3, 67 per cent said they liked math. By Grade 6, only 48 per cent did. The results are slowly getting better after the pandemic, but there is still a lot of work to do.
The two systems are not the same. In Ontario primary schools, one teacher usually teaches all subjects, including math. In China, math is taught by a who only teaches math. From 2016 to 2019, the researcher helped run a "Sister School Network" between a school in Windsor, Canada, and a school in Chongqing, China. Teachers met online every month. They shared lessons on topics like fractions and multiplication, and they talked about how to help students.
The Chinese teachers liked many things about the Canadian system. They liked that Canadian schools give strong support to students who learn in different ways. They also liked that Canadian teachers have a lot of freedom to choose how they teach. One Chinese teacher with more than 20 years of experience said she wished China had the same kind of support for students with special needs.
The Canadian teachers learned useful ideas from China too. In Chinese primary schools, math teachers often plan their lessons together and watch each other teach. This kind of is much less common in Canada, even though many Canadian teachers say they would like more of it. Chinese math lessons also have a clear final step. At the end of a lesson, the teacher pulls the key ideas together and shows students how the different methods connect. The researcher says Canadian classrooms could do more of this clear wrap-up at the end of a lesson, so that students remember what they have learned.
The researcher does not want a full change to the Canadian system. She thinks Canada should be proud of what its math teaching already does well, but should also keep learning from other countries. Good changes, she says, happen step by step. They build carefully on what already works, instead of throwing the old system away and starting again.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
In Ontario in 2024 to 2025, what did the math test results show?
- 02
Why did the Chinese teachers admire the Canadian system?
- 03
What does the researcher most likely want Canadian schools to do next?
- 04
Compare how math is taught in Ontario primary schools and in Chinese primary schools. Use details from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Explain why the researcher thinks Canada should learn from China, but should not change everything.
Suggested length: ~70 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
In Ontario in 2024 to 2025, what did the math test results show?
- 02
Why did the Chinese teachers admire the Canadian system?
- 03
What does the researcher most likely want Canadian schools to do next?
- 04
Compare how math is taught in Ontario primary schools and in Chinese primary schools. Use details from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Explain why the researcher thinks Canada should learn from China, but should not change everything.
Suggested length: ~70 words