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Why Singapore Math?
We want our students to be prepared to compete in the new global economy. More than ever, our students today are going to need to be strong in math. This connects to our International Baccalaureate Program that puts an emphasis of having a global perspective and preparing our students with skill sets needed for the 21st century.
Since the mid 1990‘s, the Singapore Math program has ranked as one of the top math programs internationally according to the TIMSS Report (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). Singapore’s curriculum was developed over the past several decades by math experts hired by Singapore’s Ministry of Education. The framework of the program is totally aligned with a common set of national standards with all components being sequentially integrated into the framework. Our students are using the newest edition of Singapore Math, the US Edition, which is aligned with the California state standards.
What are the characteristics of a Singapore Math lesson?
• With the focus on teaching mathematical reasoning and logical thinking, students deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Singapore Math emphasizes the development of strong number sense, place value, mental math and problem solving skills.
• Each concept is taught to mastery by first using manipulatives, second, having pictorial experiences and then students work at the abstract level. This ensures that the focus is on students’ deep understanding of each concept.
• Since concepts are taught to mastery, the Singapore Math reduces the amount of repetition of topics from year to year so the curriculum progresses at a faster pace with better results.
• The curriculum is an inch wide and a mile deep and the focus is on in-depth mastery of concepts.
What is Model Drawing?
Mathematical problem solving is the core of the Singapore Math framework. All the skills, concepts, and critical thinking skills are reinforced daily with solving word problems. Model-drawing is an ingenious problem-solving strategy built into the curriculum. Students are taught to visualize and construct concrete pictures to help them make sense of word problems. Model-drawing also serves as a link to algebra because of the symbolic representation of problems.
According to a 2005 study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), Singapore Math 6 grade problems are more challenging than the problems on the U.S. grade 8 National Assessment of Education Progress.