The second thing that is notable in the programs of the high achieving countries is the level of abstraction that is present in the problems students are expected to do in these early grades. Variables have been introduced and are routinely used, so students set up and solve simple equations in second grade and quite sophisticated equations in third grade. There is a strong belief in the education community in the United States that “young students learn strictly in context,” which means that they do not believe young students can handle abstraction. This belief is not supported by research, nor is it supported by the outcomes in the.
