I've read surprising news about a new trend in American education. Soviet basis of knwledge still remains one of the best in the world, even after the USSR fall, and it's the reason why heritage of that very educational methods are still used and popular.
I've told my HiveFam about Soviet books I use for unschooling education of my son, but I have never expected the USA will use them as well...
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Journalist Nicole Laporte wrote for Town & Country about a new trend among American parents who are looking to enroll their preschool children in "Russian math" classes.
According to Laporte, today's "successful middle class" in the United States believe that "the old Soviet way of learning math" can give their children an advantage in getting into Harvard, Princeton or another prestigious university, opening up more opportunities for them in life. Extracurricular activities in mathematics are becoming as popular as programming and chess for many American students.
It is Russian mathematics that has become a new subject of study for American families, many of whom are just discovering it for themselves and actively discussing the merits of such an education at school meetings.
Laporte talked about this with Masha Gershman, director of public relations for the Russian School of Mathematics, which is based in Boston and operates 70 branches across the country.
So what is "Russian mathematics"?
The goal of teaching according to such a system is to make algebra "a tool for shaping the child's thinking", and not just to teach children to solve the same type of problems.
The so-called "Russian mathematics" program was developed in the Soviet Union, when "this nation was a superpower that sought to surpass the rest of the world in innovation, especially the United States during the space race era of the 1950s."
So it is not surprising that the methodology is distinguished by the depth of study, the fundamental approach and a certain rigor. Students are given to solve problems that push them to self-development early - the concepts of algebra are introduced already in the third grade.
Have you heard about it, guys?
What do you think of it?
Is it true? Will it be good for American kids?
