Singapore Curriculum For Mathematics

Many primary schools in Jamaica have adopted and implemented an approach to teaching elementary math that is common practice in Singapore. Singapore math, which refers to the actual curriculum used in kindergarten through sixth grade in the small island nation, has become popular because Singapore consistently tops international rankings for math teaching. In the United States, Singapore ranks in the top three, and the US Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress ranks ninth and 11th, respectively.
The Singapore Curriculum for Mathematics in Jamaica “of the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the Jamaica Institute for Education Research (JIER).
In American math classes, which are often based on drilling and memorizing many skills throughout the year, Singapore Math (r) focuses on teaching children to really master numbers and concepts during the school year. Children not only learn the material for tests; the goal is that they do well in tests if they understand the materials at a deeper level.
Singapore’s curriculum, prepared by the country’s Ministry of Education, generally focuses on a few topics that can be explored in depth. It is able to delve deeper into the development of teaching approaches and the production of teaching materials.
After a review of the mathematics curriculum, a mathematical framework was developed to articulate the principles of mathematical teaching. The team of the Primary Mathematics Project, led by the Faculty of Mathematics at the National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Education, developed a method of visualizing mathematical quantities and relationships that proved very successful over the next few decades.
The Singapore Math Approach is based on the premise that mathematical problem solving is central to mathematical thinking. As the community launches the Singapore Math programme, we see the importance of problem solving as a key component in really understanding why mathematics works. The core principles of mathematical teaching, such as the use of mathematics to solve mathematical problems, have remained largely the same, while their interconnected components have been retained.
To demonstrate that this approach works, standardized test results were used as the basis for the Singapore Math Approach, as well as a number of other aspects of the approach.
Singaporean students are among the world’s highest-rated math students, and this success gives sixth-graders the opportunity to be in an accelerated math group to focus on math in secondary schools. American children lag behind, cracking the top 10% in the US, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Education.
To catch up with a globally competitive world, local schools are embracing the same approach that has proved so successful in Singapore.
With the development of its internationally recognized K-6 mathematics curriculum, it aims to provide students with a better conceptual understanding and problem solving, as well as an understanding of the importance of data analysis. While Singapore’s approach to mathematics is more conceptual than ideological, the “Everyday Mathematics” program focuses on data – analysis using a variety of tools such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, and computer programming – while Singapore’s “Mathematics for Mathematics” approach focuses on the practical application of mathematics in everyday life.
When math programs are similar, many students move between districts, which is a big problem because Singapore’s math subjects follow each other. Since it does not teach concepts and skills, it can prepare students for failure if they do not move to another district to take advantage of the program.
This raises the question of what makes Singapore’s students so strong in STEM subjects, and what US students can learn and improve from them. Although research suggests that this method is superior to traditional US textbooks, some schools have found that it is not easy to implement, especially in Singapore, because of the high cost of textbooks.
Although US students have shown long-term improvements since the introduction of TIMSS in 1995, the results have been lackluster for a country that has tirelessly focused on improving its mathematics and science subjects. Experts agree that the reason Singapore’s students are so successful in math is that their curriculum teaches them a deep mastery of the subject through carefully calculated basic learning. PBS.org says: “The goal is for children to play at a level that is high enough for them to understand the stuff at a deep level; they are not just learning material for tests. Each grade level is like a building block, and the higher the level, the better.
Schools around the world have adapted this method to include textbooks and workbooks from Singapore in their curriculum. Unlike traditional math classes, which have relied for years on drilling and memorizing many skills, Singapore’s math program focuses on children learning and really mastery a limited number of concepts in a school year. The difficulty of the mediated concepts increases with each level until a solid foundation is established.