1-31-09
What is Singapore Math?

The last several years, there has been quite a bit of buzz about a new math program called Singapore Math. Singapore Math is a national curriculum, developed by the Singapore Ministry of Education, which has been used in their schools since the early 1990's. Singapore Math now also refers to the corporation that packages and sells this curriculum to both private and public entities all over the world.

The development of the program is fascinating. The initial set (developed in the 1980's) focused primarily on computational skills. The Ministry development team, through national and international testing, recognized that students needed more problem solving skills and in 1992 transformed it into a "problem solving curriculum". In 1999 there was another major revamp - this time a reduction of concepts. The Ministry team reduced the number of concepts overall by about 30%. (Imagine - they decided to go for depth rather than breadth.)

TIMMS is the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and it is the TIMMS exam (so far administered in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007) that allows students from around the world to be compared. Singapore students were ranked 1st among students from all countries participating in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 examinations. The 2007 results were released on December 9, 2008. Singapore DROPPED in the rankings on both exams (4th grade and 8th grade) administered in 2007. Say what?? Did the Ministry tweak the material too much??

This is the first time since 1995 that Singapore students have not been #1.

Changes to the curriculum since 2001 include: initiatives to bring more computer hardware and software into the schools; more focus on critical and creative thinking; the introduction of calculators earlier; and a reduction in the amount of mental math required.

I wonder about the implications here in the US. Many school districts are already adopting the program and the Ministry has spent much time and many resources customizing the program for an American audience. In fact, with the changes since 2001 Singapore Math is beginning to resemble an American mathematics curriculum. Is there any wonder that their TIMMS scores seem to be following the same pattern?

Posted by Marlisa Johnson at 5:16 pm.

1-23-09
No More Pencils, No More Books..

That might be the absolute sweetest rhyme to the ears of teachers and students.  We look forward to the end of the school year almost from the beginning.  After the new outfits have become worn and after the shiny, pristine notebooks are ripped and contain doodles throughout, comes the realization that there are 8 months to go.

I’ve been reading about the recent California budget problems and the proposal to cut the school year by 5 days.  Woo Hoo!  Sounds like a plan to me!  Then I thought about it – is it possible for a teacher to actually squeeze in the voluminous strands of the California State Standards in even fewer days??  (Keep in mind that I am no longer a classroom teacher so I likely only remember some of the many demands on classroom time.)  Schools must factor field trips, drug prevention programs, health and safety programs, athletic events, teacher sick days, arts and cultural celebrations, TESTING and a variety of other activities into the 180-day academic year.  Of course, ALL of these activities are essential for nurturing productive citizens of the world.  (Okay, maybe not the TESTING…)  But admit it, whenever something tragic happens, the response is always, “We need to be teaching that to our children in the schools.”  Our children are expected to receive a full, well-rounded upbringing from public schools, so in these terms 180 days are not nearly enough.

BUT, if we assign our schools the task of only teaching academic core subjects:  English, mathematics, history, science and foreign language, then 175 days just might work.

Posted by Marlisa Johnson at 12:22 pm.

1-16-09
A Teachable Moment

I’ve always been good at math (pretty much).  My mom sometimes tells a story about me as a preschooler – I frequently requested that she write out addition problems for me to do on a sheet of paper because I enjoyed writing the numbers and felt very official doing it.  One day I became very curious about what happens when the numbers being added are too big to fit in the space (sum is above 9).  She found my question very amusing (because I was only 3 or 4 years old) and then carefully explained the concept of carrying to me.  The rest is history…

Did I have some innate aptitude for mathematics or did my mother unknowingly foster my love of mathematics?  I figure that if there is one moment that can turn a student onto mathematics, then there must conversely be a moment that can turn a student off to mathematics.

As a tutor, students often tell me their stories of the turn off moments:  They missed three days of school and when they came back their class had learned how to add fractions.  Their 3rd grade teacher didn’t like math very much so their class only “had math” two days per week that year.   When they were in 8th grade taking Algebra 1, there was something awful going on at home that created an environment in which doing homework was impossible.  They started playing soccer at a very competitive level and frequently missed their Trigonometry class, which was their last class of the day, to travel to games.

There are many stories like these and more.  Educators often notice when a student is going off the path and sometimes we can and do help.  “Danger, Long Division” is a remarkable book by Janet Gingold (www.janetgingold.com) about a 4th grade girl named Becca who has a horrific week in math that could possibly change her outlook toward it forever.  I stumbled upon this book a couple of months ago and devoured it.  It gives the insightful 4th grade perspective on life and is a MUST READ for any parent or educator.

Posted by Marlisa Johnson at 6:01 am.