German teachers can't solve math problems they teach, study shows

Apr 15, 2010, 15:42 GMT

   Berlin - Teachers in some German schools have difficulty solving mathematics problems - the same ones they are supposed to be demonstrating to their pupils - according to details released Thursday in Berlin from a worldwide study.

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement tested teachers in 17 nations.

A specialized mathematics teacher - either at Germany's academic secondary school, a 'gymnasium,' or at a primary school - could hold his own with teachers in other nations, both in terms of maths knowledge and teaching skills.

But the average non-specialized teacher at primary schools and non-academic secondary schools was not up to the task, the survey found. The world study tested 20,000 teachers of mathematics classes.

In some cases, the Germans could not properly solve a maths problem which the children in their classes were supposed to solve.

Sigrid Bloemeke, an education researcher at Humboldt University of Berlin, said children could not achieve unless teachers were competent. She called for major changes in German teacher training.