Great Read: Teaching Guide for Japanese Math Curriculum

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Japan has been well-known for its high achievement in Mathematics, particularly in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

I had been in Japan for the past one year  and had been studying their curriculum, observing classes, as well as reading elementary school textbooks (yes, I can read and understand Japanese a bit.) Since some of the books have English translations, I was able to have a glimpse at how they develop mathematical concepts.  I can say, that their textbooks are the best among all that I have read so far.

For teachers who want to take a look at how Japan develop mathematical concepts, I strongly recommend that you read the following Teaching Guides for the Japanese Course of Study (the term used for curriculum). You may not agree with me, but I believe that can learn a lot from these documents. 

Another supplement to these readings is the book Mathematical Thinking: How to Develop it in the Classroom by Masami Isoda and Shigeo Katagiri. The book describes three perspectives of mathematical thinking: Mathematical Attitude (mindset), Mathematical Methods in general, and Mathematical Ideas with content. It also explains how to develop them in the classroom with illuminating examples. This book is a result of Lesson Studies of the past 50 years in Japan.

I am currently reading the book (almost finished) and I also strongly recommend it to all elementary school and high school mathematics teachers.

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