I read cletus's post to suggest that primary math education (i.e. young children) isn't personalized very much. This is demonstrably true, at least in the U.S.
That's how I read it too. And that is a finding of international studies of primary mathematics education. The newly industrialized countries of east Asia do much better in primary mathematics education, using textbooks (and teacher professional development to ensure that the textbooks are well applied in the classroom) such that key concepts are presented from multiple points of view, to reach as many learners as possible. The TIMSS test results
suggest this is working out well for those countries. A book-length description of how mathematics primary education differs between much of the United States and much of China
That's how I read it too. And that is a finding of international studies of primary mathematics education. The newly industrialized countries of east Asia do much better in primary mathematics education, using textbooks (and teacher professional development to ensure that the textbooks are well applied in the classroom) such that key concepts are presented from multiple points of view, to reach as many learners as possible. The TIMSS test results
http://pirls.bc.edu/timss2007/PDF/T07_M_IR_Chapter1.pdf
suggest this is working out well for those countries. A book-length description of how mathematics primary education differs between much of the United States and much of China
http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Teaching-Elementary-Mathematic...
is an eye-opening read.