Gleaning the best of two worlds

Only those aged below 45 years old with at least three years of math teaching experience at primary or secondary schools in Shanghai are eligible, according to Huang Xingfeng, the program organizer in Shanghai. All these teachers also hold College English Test Band 6 certificates.

"During the training, teachers review Shanghai basic math teaching theories and approaches to better illustrate the Shanghai style, both theoretically and practically, to British teachers," says Huang, who is also an associate professor at the Research Institute for International and Comparative Education at Shanghai Normal University.

In addition, Chinese teachers with experience of UK schools inform teachers back in Shanghai about the school culture in the UK, education theories and principles, the types of teaching materials used, and the characteristics of British students.

The teaching content that Shanghai educators will use in British classrooms during the exchange is also adjusted to UK standards and culture.

For example, the units of currency in math questions are changed from the yuan, jiao and fen to the pound and penny. The multiplication tables that every Chinese pupil has to master are also translated into English. Even the cuisine that is found in Chinese math textbooks, such as Yangzhou fried rice and Shanghai steamed buns, is localized to include British foods like fish and chips, pies and tea.