Singapore Math Beyond the Basics Day 1

Dr. Yeap Ban HarMarshall Cavendish Institute

[email protected]

Slides are available at

www.banhar.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/MCISingaporeMarshall Cavendish Institute

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SINGAPORE

M AT H Beyond the Basics

St Edward’s SchoolFlorida, USA

Day One

IntroductionWe started the day with an overview of Singapore education system. We also watched a video on the Singapore education system. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEn6OKsVoMs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEn6OKsVoMs

General Overview of Singapore and its Education System

Land 270 sq miles

People 4.7 million


GDP per capita in current U.S. dollars1965 $510 2010 $43 300


Students 500 000

Teachers 30 000

Principals & Vice-Principals 900

Schools 173 Primary Schools (Primary 1 – 6) 155 Secondary Schools (Secondary 1 – 4) 13 Junior Colleges (JC 1 – 2) 15 Mixed-Level Schools

The data refers to 1-12 school system. Pre-school is not part of the formal education system. The data excludes post-secondary education system which includes institutes of technical education, polytechnics and universities.

Canossa Convent Primary School Singapore

Universities

PolytechnicsJunior

Colleges

Integrated Programmes

National Examination

Secondary Schools


Institutes of Technical Education

Primary Schools


A detailed schematic diagram of Singapore’s education system is available in Education Statistics Digest http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-statistics-digest/

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-statistics-digest/



Curriculum document is available at http://www.moe.gov.sg/

http://www.moe.gov.sg/

Singapore Ministry of Education 1997

THINKING SCHOOLSLEARNING NATION

is singapore

whatmathematics

Singapore Mathematics: Focus on Thinking

excellentvehicleanforthe

development&improvement of

a person’s intellectual

competenciesMinistry of Education Singapore 2006

Lesson 1We did a lesson on multiplication facts to understand the emphasis on visualization in learning basic materials. We also saw the use of an anchor tasks to engage students for an extended period of time.

Lesson 1 June 18, 2012

2 x 4 = 8

5 x 4 = 20Problem10 x 4 = 5 x 4 = 209 x 4 = 2 x 4 = 84 x 4 = 8 x 8 = 7 x 4 = 2 x 4 = 8 6 x 4 = 5 x 4 = 20 3 x 4 =

2 x 4 = 8

This Grade 2 lesson on multiplication facts of 4 centers around using doubling strategy and adding one row strategy in addition to previewing more advanced strategies such as using 2 x 4 and 5 x 4 to get 7 x 4 as well as ‘subtraction’ strategy. The anchor task is to use 2 x 4 and 5 x 4 to obtain all the other facts. The anchor task allows students to work on one task for an extended period of time.

Da Qiao Primary School Singapore

Lesson 2We continued to see the emphasis on visualization through the use of bar models in solving word problems. This lesson was done with a small group of Grade 3 students who have no experience with Singapore Math. This session and the ones after lunch focused on helping students who have difficulties with reading word problems, representing complex situations and doing computations. We also saw the use of the cut up word problems in doing differentiated instruction.


Jack

Kyla

had

$2

more

than

Jack

Kyla

gave

$3


Open Lesson at Hawaii, USA


Story 1Jack had $3.Jack gave Kyla $2 more.

Jack Kyla

Before $3 $1 $5 $19

After $1 $3 $7 ?

What if Kyla had this amount before?


Story 2Kyla had $3 more than Jack.

Jack

Kyla

Jack gave Kyla $2.

$2

$3

Who had more money afterwards? How much

more?

Kyla had $3 more than Jack.Jack gave Kyla $2.How much more did Kyla have than Jack?

Students in Grade 6 may use algebra to deal with Story 2.

Kyla had $(x + 3)Jack had $x

Then, Jack had $(x – 2)And Kyla had $(x + 5)

Kyla had $(x + 5) – $(x – 2) or $7 more than Jack.

Lesson 3Question: How do we help students set up the model? Students are introduced to the idea of using a rectangle to represent quantities – known and unknown. Paper strips are used. Later, only diagrams are used. Advanced skills like cutting and moving are learned in Grades 4, 5 and 6. How is the idea of bar model introduced in Grades K – 3? Listen out for this on Day 2.

Lesson 3 show a basic bar model solution.


Carl

Ben

$4686

Differentiated instruction for students who have difficulty with

standard algorithms. Use number bonds.

2x + x = 4686

3x = 4686

Students in Grade 7 may use algebra to deal with such situations. Bar model is actual linear equations in pictorial form.

Lessons 4 & 5We studied the strategies to help struggling readers as well as those weak in representing problem situations. • Who is in the story? What is it all about?• Is the sentence easy?• Read a complex sentence as simple sentences.• Leave out numbers in reading


In the end ...

At first …

Alice

Betty

Charmaine

Dolly

20

10



Grade 6

Grade 4

Grade 5

240


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