Abstract
熟能生巧, corresponding to an English proverb Practice Makes Perfect, is an ancient Chinese idiom. Many teachers in China as well as in East Asia believe it and consider it a principle for mathematics teaching and learning. However most mathematics educators in the West think understanding is the most important goal. They adopt an attitude of negating drill and practice and regard it as a purely behavioral manipulation. The issue of practice first versus understanding first is nearly the same dilemma as the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. It is meaningful to reflect on the traditional way of teaching and learning and show what possibilities it possesses for developing understanding.
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© 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Li, S. (2004). Does Practice Make Perfect?. In: Fujita, H., Hashimoto, Y., Hodgson, B.R., Lee, P.Y., Lerman, S., Sawada, T. (eds) Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress on Mathematical Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-9046-9_36
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-9046-9_36
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-7902-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-9046-9
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