英国小学要采用99乘法表！中国算数走向国际

Tests to check whether eight- and nine-year-olds know their times tables will be trialled in some primary schools in England next month before being rolled out nationally.

在全国正式投入运行之前，英国下个月将在一些小学测试8-9岁的孩子是否熟记乘法口诀。

The test, which ministers hope will improve pupils' numeracy, will become mandatory in 2020 for all year 4 students.

政府官员希望通过这个项目来提高小学生的运算能力，预计到2020年会覆盖到所有4年级的学生。

The government says the on-screen test, which assesses knowledge of the times tables up to 12, will last no longer than five minutes and has been designed to avoid causing additional stress for children and teachers.

政府表示，线上测试只要是为了评估学生对于上限在12的乘法表的掌握能力，答题时间在5分钟以内，并且不会给老师和学生造成额外的压力。

The Department for Education sought to reassure teachers that the results would not be published and would not be used by the school's watchdog Ofsted to enforce any changes.

教育部向老师确保，测试结果不会公布、也不会被学校的监管机构Ofsted使用，学校不会做任何改变。

Many teachers' leaders remain opposed to the new test, which is being introduced just as Sats tests in maths and English for seven-year-olds are about to be phased out after complaints about the burden of stress on young children and their teachers.

许多学校的教学主任还是很排斥这个测试的，就像被引入针对7岁小朋友的数学和语文课程的Sat考试一样，让学生和老师就课业负担方面一片怨声载道。

Nick Brook, the deputy general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “We're working constructively with the government on primary assessment generally so it's hugely disappointing that they are still intent on the introduction of a multiplication tables test, which the NAHT opposes.”

全国教学组长联合会副秘书长，Nick Brook称：“我们和政府就小学测试乘法表一事进行沟通，结果让人大失所望。他们还是不顾我们的反对，测试推行乘法表。”

The idea of a multiplication test was first raised in the 2015 Conservative manifesto, and was originally intended for 11-year-olds. The numeracy skills of students in England lag behind those of their peers in east and south-east Asia.

2015年保守党宣言，首次提出向11岁的孩童推行乘法表。因为英国学生的运算能力落后于东南亚的同龄人。

Nick Gibb, the school standards minister, said: “Just as the phonics screening check helps children who are learning to read, the multiplication tables check will help teachers identify those pupils who require extra support.

学校部长Nick Gibb说：“就像自然拼读发帮助学生来阅读那样，乘法口诀能让老师知道哪些学生更需要帮助。”

 “This will ensure that all pupils leave primary school knowing their times tables by heart and able to start secondary school with a secure grasp of fundamental arithmetic as a foundation for mathematics.”

“让小学低年级的学生背诵乘法口诀表，为他们在学习初中数学打好基础”。

“A pupil's primary school years are already cluttered with tests and checks. We want all children to succeed at school, but the answer isn't to test them more.”

“小学生一年就要应付一大堆测试和检查，我们希望每个孩子都能学习好，但这并不意味着他们要多考试。”

The tests will be tried out in a sample of schools this spring before being made available on a voluntary basis next year, and then compulsory the following year.

今年春天试点学校会先测试，明年推行到有相关意愿的学校，后年将会全面执行。

（翻译：林浔鸥）