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SingaporeMathSource.com
V Math Champions
f' Professional Development, LLC
 Answer the following questions:
1 _ Strongly Agree; 2 _ Agree; 3 - Neither; 4 - Disagree; 5 -Strongly disagree.

1 2 3 4 5
-

1 1 recall math classes in school fondly.

1 was happy to answer questions posed during

2
math class.

1 recall being comfortable asking questions during

3
math class.

4 1 enjoy teaching math.

5 1 understand math and feel comfortable answering

questions posed by students.

6 1 enjoy preparing math lesson plans.

7 1 was comfortable in school solving math problems

in front of the class.

8 1 describe my math skills as average or above

average.

1 am confident in my ability to solve math

9
problems.

Now total your score from the above chart.

36-45 You've got math anxiety to the maxi
27-35 You've got some fears about math.
18-26 Not too bad, but you've got a bit of the bug.
9-17 Math anxiety is not an issue for you. Congratulations!

4
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~ .rY'lbating Math Anxiety

"EvideV1ce Sv\Cj{'.)ests tvi~t Wl~tvi ~Vlxiety resv\lts W\ore froWl tVJe w~y
tvie Sv\k?ject is preseV1ted tVJ~Vl froW\ tvie Sv\k:iject itself."

- Greenwood

"Mathematics anxiety arises when one stage

(of mathematical understanding) is
unheedingly skipped ... many of the loyers of
mathematical knowledge are so elementary
that they are often easy to miss. When this
happens, an attempt is made to establish a
new layer on top of the missing one, neither
the teacher nor the student con discern the
origin of the problem. The student hears
something that is meaningless to him since he is
"probably not yet ready'."
- Aharoni

ChlldRen don t hCAte mGith. 1

They Mte belng confused by mC1th.

5
 i a t1 · o Saie.
Fourth-grade Eighth-grade
2015 International Test Results

1 Singapore 618 1 Singapore 621

2 Hong Kong 615 2 Korea, Republic of 606
3 Korea, Republic of 608 3 Chinese Taipei 599
,1
- 1 United 'States~ .+w ~::';·.:"~•02·2 Unîieèi Statès'?{~~~iŒl~J.i
1
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JA}iH - ~' :·~~·539
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Scale average 500 Scale average 500

2011 International Test Results
1 Singapore 606 1 Korea, Republic of
2 Korea, Republic of 613
605 2 Singapore 611
3 Hong Kong 603 3 Chinese Taipei 609

Scale average 500 Scale average 500

2007 International Test Results
1 Hong Kong 607 1 Chinese Taipei 598
2 Singapore 599 2 Korea, Republic of 597
3 Chinese Taipei 576 3 Singapore 593
lu .United States7 .....·,. ·:. ··~ ~.29 :...:'";r, ''ii;~'-!;;J,:::l'i.Yiilièé(jt aîës :;.:s.'itSt;.·.::,..;1:TS,Qj
Scale average 500 Scale average 500
2003 International Test Results

1 Singapore 594 1 Singapore 605

2 Hong Kong SAR 575 2 Korea, Republic of 589
3 Japon 565 3 Hong Kong SAR 586
0' ~United St~ ~ = ~ ' : :liniiédSta~J:::-'.;::;::"';:;zsoj
Scale average 495 Scale average 466

10
 Advanced International Benchmark - 625
Students can apply their understanding and knowledge in a variety of relative/y complex situations
and explain their reasoning. They con solve a variety of multi-step word problems involving whole
numbers. Students at this level show an increasing understanding of fractions and decimals. They
con apply knowledge of a range of two- and three-dimensional shapes in a variety of situations.
They con interpret and represent data to solve multi-step problems.

High International Benchmark - 550

Students can apply their knowledge and understanding to solve problems. They con solve word
problems involving operations with whole numbers, simple fractions, and two-place decimals.
Students demonstrate understanding of geometric properties of shapes and of angles that are
less thon or greater thon a right angle. Students con interpret and use data in tables and a
variety of graphs to solve problems.

lntermediate International Benchmark - 475

Students can apply basic mathematical knowledge in simple situations. They demonstrate an
understanding of whole numbers and some understanding of fractions and decimals. Students can
relate two- and three-dimensional shapes and identify and draw shapes with simple properties.
They con read and interpret bar graphs and tables.

Low International Benchmark - 400

Students have some basic mathematical knowledge. They can add and subtract whole numbers,
have some understanding of multiplication by one-digit numbers, and ' con solve simple word
problems. They have some knowledge of simple fractions, geometric shapes, and measurement.
Students con read and complete simple bar graphs and tables.
- IEA' s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015

1Curricula from top scoring countries on TIMSS share 3 characteristics:

1. Coherence - The content is not a bunch of arbitrary topics - it follows the
structure of the discipline. Students are expected to understand the basic
before the complex.
2. Focus - Fewer topics are covered at each grade level - "Mile wide vs. inch
deep"
3. Rigor - As one moves across the grades the complexity increases. Sixth
graders should not be learning multiplication facts, they should be applying
that knowledge. Students are expected to reason about mathematical
·1 concepts.

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1Findings from the American Institutes for Research® Study
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted
a study of schools using Singapore Math® in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland. The
study, "What the United States Can Learn from Singapore's World - Class Mathematics System
(and what Singapore con learn from the United States)", identified major differences between the
mathematics frameworks, textbooks, assessments, and teacher preparation in both countries. The
results of the study were released in 2005.

"lt is unreasonable to assume that Singaporean students have

mathematical abilities inherently superior to those of U.S. students;
rather, there must be something about the system that Singapore has
developed to teach mathematics that is better thon the system we use in the
United States. That's why it' s important to take a doser look, and see how
the U.S can learn and how the U.S can improve."

• "Singapore Mathematics textbooks con produce significant boosts in achievement."

• "What the US needs overall are the sound features of the Singapore Mathematics system."
• "The Singapore program provides rich problem sets that give students many and varied
opportunities to apply the concepts they have learned."
• Singapore's textbooks build deep understanding of mathematical concepts while traditional
U.S. textbooks rarely get beyond definitions and formulas.

Full report available: http://www.air.org

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 "Since 1991 , the framework of the Singapore mathematics curriculum
, has. been articul atedJ
pentagon mode 1••• Mathematics departments are well aware that the pnmary aim of th n
mathematics curriculum is to enable students to develop their ability in mathematical pro:I
solving' and that the attainment of this aim is dependent on the five inter-related com ern
Concepts, Skills, Processes, Attitudes and Metacognition." Ponents

-Teaching Secondary School Mathematics: A Resource Book

Beliefs
lnterest
Appreciation Monitoring one's own thinkin
Perseverance Self-regulation of learnin
Confidence

athematical
Problem
Numerical calculation Solving Reasoning, communicati
Algebraic manipulation Q.f? and connections
Spatial visualisation Thinking skills and heuri
Data analysis Concepts Application and model'
Mec surement
Numerical
Use of Mathematical tools
Geometrica 1
Estimation
Statistical
Probe bilistic
Analytical

- Ministry of Education Primary Mathematics Sy

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"Mathematics 1s an excellent vehlcle for the development and lmprovement of a person's intellectual
competence in logical reasoning, spatial visualisation, analysls and abstract thought. Students
develop numeracy, reasoning, thinking skills, and problem-solving skills through the learning and
application of mathematics ....

__ Mathematics is also a subject of enjoyment and excitement, which offers students opportunities for
creative work and moments of enlightenment and joy. When ideas are discovered, and insights
gained, students are spurred to pursue mathematics beyond the classroom walls."

-Ministry of Education Primary Mathematics Syllabus 2007

1Number Sense:
Number sense implies having a deep understanding of mathematical concepts, making sense of
various mathematical ideas, as well as developing mathematical connections and applications.
Students with strong number sense con make connections between their knowledge and newly
learned mathematical concepts and skills. ln general, they know how to make sense of numbers,
how to apply them, and are confident that their problem-solving processes will enable them to
arrive at solutions.

Richard Skemp differentiates between instrumental (or procedural) and relational (conceptual)
understanding. Both are necessary for a deep sense of number sense; however, the Singapore
teaching model focuses on relational understanding.

1Making Connections/Finding Patterns

Connections refer to the ability to see and make linkages among mathematical ideas, between
mathematics and other subjects, and between mathematics and everyday life. These connections
help students make sense of what they learn in mathematics.

1Communication
Communication refers to the ability to use mathematical language to express mathematical ideas
and arguments precisely, concisely and logically. lt helps students develop their own
understanding of mathematics and sharpen their mathematical thinking.

Lev Vygotsky describes learning as a social process. Students must be given time to socialize and
communicate to learn.

15
DViSU<!l!Z<!l!.Q.!!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _____
"Manipulation of moteriols is crucial. ln order to think, children in the concrele operationa/
stage need lo have obiects in front of them thot ore eosy lo ho~dle, or else to visua/ize
obiects that have been hondled and that are easily imagined w,thout any rea/ effort."
- Piaget

Singopore Curriculum recognizes stages of learning; it introduces concepts in on informai Woy

from Zoltan Dienes' idea of play stage q structured stage q proctice stage. ln addition,
Jerome Bruner's ideo of enoctive q iconic q symbolic (or concrete - pictoriol - obstract in
Singopore curricula) gives students the opportunity to work with moteriols before the syrnbolic
notation of mathematics. Although the most challenging stage for a classroom teacher rnoy be the
concrete, it is not to be shortchanged.

The concrete and pictorial stages are the bridge to abstract computation. A list of recomrnended
manipulatives by grade level is available on page 112.

Concrete items that moy be used in a classroom include:

• base l O blacks
• number disks • counters
• scales
• dominos • geoboards
• thermometers
• meter sticks
• cards • dice
• origami paper • hula hoops
Pictorial items moy include:
• pictures of items
• drawings
• sets • graphs
• models
• number lines and timelines
Bar modeling is the heuristic (problem solving strategy) emphasized in the Singapore
Mathematics curriculum as a representative tool for students to use when problem solving.

DVariation
Dienes' perceptual variability principle suggests thot conceptuel learning is maximized when
children are exposed to a concept through a variety of physical contexts or embodiments.
Providing multiple experiences, not the same experience many limes, and using a variety of
materials is designed to promote abstraction of a mathematical concept. When children are given
opportunities to see a concept in different ways and under different conditions, they are more
likely to understand that concept in different ways, under different conditions.

This avoids students ascribing inappropriote attributes to a concept. Lack of diversity in

;:::•ttoo "Z"'"
mathematical exemples leads to "fixation".

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