Teach them while they’re young. This adage might be true when we’re referring to the mental development of a child, which starts from 6-12 years or what Child Psychologists calls the School Age Years. The notable changes are as follows:
· Has an ability to think in an abstract way.
· They are capable of solving problem on their own but still seek adult supervision.
· Has the strong enthusiasm to learn and to discover something new.
· They can accomplish tasks but only one at a time using creative methods.
· Has an unbridled curiosity.
At this stage, a child starts studying at the “big school.” Once he grew accustomed to his new environment, a child will refer “recess” as his favorite “subject” and will develop a certain liking or phobia to Math. It is the teacher’s responsibility, who acts as the second parent of the child in school, to quell the fear of a student towards Math. As an academic authority, they must think of creative techniques to indoctrinate Math as a fun and harmless subject. Does it seem an impossible mission for the teacher and his students? Yet, somewhere in Singapore, this far-fetched idea came true.
In 1980s, the Ministry of Education made reforms on their educational policies. This gave birth to Primary Mathematics or internationally known as Singapore Math. Although the program started in 1980s, it only gained recognition last 1995 from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). TIMSS 1995 hailed Singapore as one of the top-performing countries on Mathematics in the Primary and Middle School Grades amongst the 46 participating countries. Since then, Singapore has a spot in the top five in every cycle of TIMSS.
After this important milestone in the educational system of Singapore, other Western and fellow Asian countries became interested finding out the secret behind Singapore Math. So what is Singapore Math exactly? According to a 2010 New York Times article, “…Singapore math has often been described by educators and parents as a more balanced approach between the two [traditional or reform math], melding old-fashioned algorithms with visual representations and critical thinking.” Moreover, Singapore Math’s curriculum leans on the child development theory as stated by Jeffrey Thomas, the one who brought Singapore Math to USA. The target demography of the program is the School Age Years, a period where the child’s thirst for discovery and learning is at its peak.
Singapore Math tackles the three important aspects of a child’s learning process: concrete, pictorial and abstract. Its main tool is the Math Model Method or Model Drawing Method, the pictorial part of Singapore Math. It substitutes the mathematical equations to rectangular boxes to solve a word problem. Visually analyses the problem that in turn broadens the scope of finding a correct answer rather than using a specific equation.
Math symbolic such as +, -, = and x are alien to the level of understanding of a six-year old. If they were able to “draw” the equation by using rectangular boxes or actual objects, they will have a visual representation of the problem in their heads. In time, they could solve problems mentally by producing a visual imagery of any situation. From this line of thought, Singapore Math has a carefully laid framework and a feasible formula to teach the subject in a most effective way as possible.
Tags:
civil service exam,home school tutorial,homeschooling,math tutorial,math review,philippine science review,reading tutorial,singapore math,tutorial center philippines,upcat review
· Has an ability to think in an abstract way.
· They are capable of solving problem on their own but still seek adult supervision.
· Has the strong enthusiasm to learn and to discover something new.
· They can accomplish tasks but only one at a time using creative methods.
· Has an unbridled curiosity.
At this stage, a child starts studying at the “big school.” Once he grew accustomed to his new environment, a child will refer “recess” as his favorite “subject” and will develop a certain liking or phobia to Math. It is the teacher’s responsibility, who acts as the second parent of the child in school, to quell the fear of a student towards Math. As an academic authority, they must think of creative techniques to indoctrinate Math as a fun and harmless subject. Does it seem an impossible mission for the teacher and his students? Yet, somewhere in Singapore, this far-fetched idea came true.
In 1980s, the Ministry of Education made reforms on their educational policies. This gave birth to Primary Mathematics or internationally known as Singapore Math. Although the program started in 1980s, it only gained recognition last 1995 from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). TIMSS 1995 hailed Singapore as one of the top-performing countries on Mathematics in the Primary and Middle School Grades amongst the 46 participating countries. Since then, Singapore has a spot in the top five in every cycle of TIMSS.
After this important milestone in the educational system of Singapore, other Western and fellow Asian countries became interested finding out the secret behind Singapore Math. So what is Singapore Math exactly? According to a 2010 New York Times article, “…Singapore math has often been described by educators and parents as a more balanced approach between the two [traditional or reform math], melding old-fashioned algorithms with visual representations and critical thinking.” Moreover, Singapore Math’s curriculum leans on the child development theory as stated by Jeffrey Thomas, the one who brought Singapore Math to USA. The target demography of the program is the School Age Years, a period where the child’s thirst for discovery and learning is at its peak.
Singapore Math tackles the three important aspects of a child’s learning process: concrete, pictorial and abstract. Its main tool is the Math Model Method or Model Drawing Method, the pictorial part of Singapore Math. It substitutes the mathematical equations to rectangular boxes to solve a word problem. Visually analyses the problem that in turn broadens the scope of finding a correct answer rather than using a specific equation.
Math symbolic such as +, -, = and x are alien to the level of understanding of a six-year old. If they were able to “draw” the equation by using rectangular boxes or actual objects, they will have a visual representation of the problem in their heads. In time, they could solve problems mentally by producing a visual imagery of any situation. From this line of thought, Singapore Math has a carefully laid framework and a feasible formula to teach the subject in a most effective way as possible.
Tags:
civil service exam,home school tutorial,homeschooling,math tutorial,math review,philippine science review,reading tutorial,singapore math,tutorial center philippines,upcat review