美国奥数总教练罗博深教授寻美数学

On March 11, 2018, Po-Shen Loh, a professor of mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, came to Beijing Royal School to deliver an inspiring lecture to the high school students.

Since he began serving the head coach of the U.S. Mathematical Olympiad Team, Po-Shen Loh has led the U.S. team to two consecutive championships at the International Olympiad Math in 2015 and 2016.

The US team accredits this refreshingly consistent upturn in performance with Po-Shen Loh’s passion for learning and work ethic, for which he has become widely known.

He is committed to letting more people discover the inner beauty and practicality of mathematics and has created the open-source learning platform “Expii”.

During his visit to Beijing Royal School, Po-Shen Loh sought to inspire and to guide students in discovering the beauty of mathematics.

He suggested that the study of mathematics, just as to other disciplines, relies on the combination of a passion for learning and hard work.

2018年3月11日，美国卡耐基梅隆大学的数学教授罗博深（Po-Shen Loh）受邀来到北京王府学校，为高中学生带来了一场发现数学之美的精彩讲座。

在台上罗博深教授为王府高一、高二年级的学生们展示了学习数学的全新视角，还邀请他们上台做游戏，帮助他们理解数学在生活中的应用，

他说：“能学好数学最关键的因素是学习的热情和能量”，而这种能量根植于对生活的关注和思考。

现场，王府的学生就数学迷思，与罗博深教授进行了问答交流，深厚的数学功底受到了罗教授极大的肯定。

罗博深担任美国奥数队总教练以来，在2015年和2016年带领美国队连续赢得两届国际奥林匹克数学学术活动团体冠军。

创造了美国队的参赛记录，也因此为人们所熟知。

除此之外，罗博深致力于让更多人发现数学的内在美和实用性，创立了开源学习平台Expii。

此次到访北京王府学校，罗博深是希望引导学生们发现数学之美，告诉他们学习数学和学习其他学科一样，学习的热情和努力付出是最重要的。

·一问一答·

Q你有什么教学心得想和我们的老师分享？What kind of teaching experience would you share with our teachers?

罗博深：From my experience of coaching top students, also trying to encourage all students, not only top students.

I feel that the most important piece of the puzzleis passion and energy.

So one of my objectives today in giving this talk was to share some of my passion in mathematics, and hopefully light a little flamein some of your students as well to do mathematics.

So I feel that all people actually have great potential, and it is really whether or not their heart drives them to do these great things to achieve them.

So the biggest lesson that I try to bringto all the world is passion.

在我教授那些非常优秀的学生里，也包括所有学生，我发现他们能学好数学最关键的因素是学习的热情和能量。

因此在我今天的讲座中要分享的，是对数学的热情，也希望能够点燃你们学习数学的兴趣。

我相信所有人都有很大的潜力，关键是你的心是否能引导（这个潜力）去实现你的目标。

因此我想分享给你们的是学习的热情。

Q 您如何理解中国学生和美国学生在数学学习上的差异？/How do you think the difference on maths study between Chinese and American students?

罗博深：By going around the whole world and giving these kinds of math lectures, it is very interesting to see the different kinds of back grounds and approaches that each student brings.

It is definitely true that many Chinese students have many of the techniques learnt already because of the different classes that they take.

Sometimes some people compare，maybe some people say that there is more creativities in certain approaches and more learning of techniques in other approaches.

My opinion actually is that no country has the best technique.

I think that the best thing we can do is to learn from all the different methods that are throughout the world, and to make the best technique together with them.

The best thing to do is to bring together creativity and also learning of techniques and practice.

If you can make sure that on both of these dimensions you are strong, you have the best of both worlds.

走访了世界各地并进行了各种讲座之后，我发现了不同教育背景中，学生会带有相应的学习方式。

中国学生确实已经学到了很多解题技巧因为他们在课堂上学到的很深入。

有一些观点认为，某一种学习方式看重创新精神而另外一些方式重在解题技巧。

我的观点是任何单一的学习方式都不是最好的。

我认为最好的学习方式是去学习和借鉴不同的方式，融合成自己最佳的学习方式。

最佳的学习方式是既注重创新，也注重学习技巧和实践。

如果你确认能够在这两个维度都做得很好，那么你就拥有了组好的学习方式。

Q您对北京王府学校有什么印象？/What impression you have on Beijing Royal School?

罗博深：This is now my third time that I come to BRS to speak in your auditorium.

I should say that I was very impressed all the times by the combination of cultural approaches you have with both the Chinese culture obviously, and also a lot of inspiration from many cultures around the world.

Actually I am on the opinion that the more you learn from other methods, the better of methods you can build yourself.

So I have been impressed by how your students come with both of these approaches, and your teachers as well.

I also have already obviously noticed that in your school, throughout the entire school, you have made an effort to combine both English and Chinese in the ways that your students hopefully,when they graduate,

they will also be citizens of the world, trying to bring their ideas and their culture from China to the rest of the world, and to also eventually bring that back.

I am very impressed by how you fuse all of these together.

这是我第三次来到北京王府学校举行讲座了，但是我每次都感到很惊讶。

这个学校能把诸多文化元素，包括中国和其他文化结合得很好。

实际上我认为越多地吸取其他文化的优点，你就可以变得越完善。

令我印象深刻的还有在学生和老师身上都体现出多元文化的融合。

我也注意到在你们学校，整个校园，你们努力在将中西方文化结合起来，这种方式让学生能够建立起世界公民的意识，他们会将中国的思想和文化带到世界其他地方，并且把其他文化中先进的部分引进来。

对于你们能够做到这些，我感到印象深刻。

Q天赋和热情，哪个更重要？/Which is more important, talent or passion?

罗博深：When I look at people, the characteristic I look for is that raw energy and passion for what they are doing.

This is because that I really believe that geneticsdon’t have that big influence on what your mental capacity is.

Certainly there are very a few people who have some very unusual advantage genetically.

For example, Yao Ming is very tall and most of us is are not that tall.

But there is only one Yao Ming.

Maybe there are some more basketball players around the rest of the world too, but their (difference) are still very small.

Most of the rest of us get our skill through practice and hard work.

So to me, if you can align your passion and your energy towards a goal, you can overcome lots of things.

For example, you may think that you are not good at maths because your classmates seem so much better.

But that advantage might only because he/she starts to learn maths six months before you.

A six-month advantage can be overcome if you really want to do it.

For example, if you are in a classroom, if you are not paying attention, you may as well be sleeping, it makes no difference.

But if you are carefully listening, you will take in so much more.

This is just one example of how aligning your work with what you are trying to achieve can overcome lots of things.

Because it is like the tortoise and hare.

There is a saying that somebody has a lot of ability but does not use it, they do not go as far as somebodywho just work as hard as they can.

And so this is why I feel that if you really put that passion forward, then you can do things that will overcome all sorts of what may seems like disadvantages.

当我观察学生的时候，会关注他们对于学习的热情和能量。

这是因为我相信生物学上的差异对人的思考能力并没有很大影响。

当然有一部分人具有天生的优势。

比如姚明很高但是大多数人没有他那么高。

但是世界上只有一个姚明。

世界上也许还有其他很多篮球运动员，但是他们（天生的差异）并没有那么大。

我们多数人是通过实践和辛勤工作学习技术的。

因此我认为，如果你将学习的热情和能量在同一方向结合起来，你会克服很多困难。

举例来说，也许你认为自己数学学不好，因为其他同学比你学得快。

但是他们的优势也许是因为比你早学了六个月。

如果你真的想学，六个月的差异是完全可以克服的。

举个例子，如果你在课上，如果你不认真听讲，你可能会睡觉，那么这节课你没什么收获。

但是如果你认真听讲，你会学到很多。

这只是一个例子，说明如何将你所做和你的目标结合起来，可以克服很多困难。

这就像龟兔赛跑的故事，寓意一个人有很大能量，但是不去利用，他们的成就就比不上努力学习的那些人。

这就是为什么如果把学习的热情充分发挥，就可以克服很多看上去是“困难”的事情。