article about Chinese teachers brought to England to teach math

[wapiti]

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/13/chinese-teachers-bring-the-art-of-maths-to-english-schools

 

There is nothing random about how to write a fraction, it turns out. First you draw the line, then you write the denominator (below the line), and finally the numerator, above the line. In that order.

 

I would not have thought to be rigid about the order of writing.

[Arcadia]

I would not have thought to be rigid about the order of writing.

I think the order in which the fraction was taught to be written sounds like the literal translation of how a fraction is spoken in Chinese. As in the denominator is stated before the numerator.

 

Haven't read the article.

ETA:

Read the article. Sounds like how maths is taught in my elementary catholic school (not in China) and with a class size of 45 from 1st grade.

[crazyforlatin]

I think Arcadia may be right. If Dd is saying 1/3, she will literally say in Chinese, 3 parts 1. So the whole is stated first and the part is stated last. It was confusing at first for her and for me, but other than 1/2, I think most other fractions are just stated bottom to top.

 

Or maybe there is top-secret reason.