“Singapore Math”

22 Dec 2004 · Posted in Learning, Mathematics 

It wasn’t so long ago that Googling singapore math would bring up my own maths website (Interactive Mathematics) in the number 1 position.

But since the US got onto the “Singapore model” of “excellent math teaching” the term “Singapore Math” has taken on a whole new meaning.

The TIMSS data (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) in the late 90s stirred up the Americans since it showed Singapore to be top of the pile in maths and science and the US was (blush) 6th and 8th respectively. The Americans ran around buying Singapore mathematics textbooks and this proved to be an interesting new export for Singapore. The more recent TIMSS study in 2003 showed that the US standards had not changed much since 1995.

Now that Bush is pushing national standards, many schools are dropping “Singapore Math” – but want to retain elements of the textbooks for their ‘rigour’ and ‘for their clear, simple prose, their novel problem-solving approaches, and the complex, multistep problems they give students, beginning in 1st grade.’ (Source: Mathforum).

Comments

2 Responses to ““Singapore Math””

  1. Johan de Nijs on March 2nd, 2008 10:25 pm

    I find Murray Bourne from Singapore the best math teacher, on the web, I ever met and I am not that young anymore. I live in the USA. Thanks Murray, Johan.

  2. zac on March 3rd, 2008 12:08 pm

    Thank you so much for your kind comment, Johan.

    I’m glad that I can help you.

Leave a Reply