Hawaii Department of Education - Professional Development in Oahu

Dr. Yeap Ban Har Marshall Cavendish Institute

Singapore

yeapbanhar@gmail.com

Slides are available at

www.banhar.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/MCISingapore

Helping Students

Learn Mathematics What & How of

Singapore Math

Dr. Yeap Ban Har Marshall Cavendish Institute

Singapore

yeapbanhar@gmail.com

Synopsis

This course focuses on teaching basic skills and concepts including the four basic operations – we will see lessons on addition (grade one) as well as multiplication (grade two) and division (grade three). In addition, we will see a lesson on division involving fraction (grade five). We will one example of practice lesson (refer to the green book). There is a similar course that focuses on problem solving.

area = 225 square miles

population = 5.3 million

durian

“Upon separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore

was faced with … high levels of unemployment and

poverty. 70% of Singapore’s households lived in badly

overcrowded conditions, and a third of its people

squatted in slums on the city fringes. Unemployment

averaged 14%, GDP per capita was less than $2,700,

and half of the population was illiterate. “

| Hanusek, Jamison, Jamison & Woessmann 2008

Score 1960-1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

500’s Japan Hong Kong Japan Korea

Hong Kong Japan Korea

Singapore

Hong Kong Japan Korea

Singapore

400’s Thailand Philippines Singapore Thailand

Malaysia Thailand

Malaysia Thailand

300’s Indonesia Philippines

Indonesia Philippines

Country

GDP per capita in

current USD

2012

Singapore 60,800

Malaysia 16,800

Thailand 9,500

Indonesia 4,900

Philippines 4,400

Source | IMF

| Hanusek, Jamison, Jamison & Woessmann 2008

What is Essential in Mathematics Literacy Let’s look at what international assessment (PISA) for 15-year-olds and Smarter Balanced Assessment for Hawaii State test suggest.

PISA 2012 Assessment

Source | PISA2012

Source | PISA2012

Source | PISA2012

Source | PISA2012

| PISA 2012

Country % of Low Performers

% of High Performers

Mean

Singapore 8.3 40.0 573

Vietnam 14.2 13.3 511

Thailand 49.7 2.6 427

Malaysia 51.8 1.3 421

Indonesia 75.7 0.3 375

OECD 23.1 12.6 494

| PISA 2012

Country % of Low Performers

% of High Performers

Mean

Shanghai 3.8 55.4 613

Singapore 8.3 40.0 573

Hong Kong 8.5 33.7 561

South Korea 9.1 30.9 554

Japan 11.1 23.7 536

Finland 12.3 15.3 519

OECD 23.1 12.6 494

Smarter Balanced Assessment

| Smarter Balanced Assessment

| Smarter Balanced Assessment

| Smarter Balanced Assessment

| Smarter Balanced Assessment

| Smarter Balanced Assessment

| Smarter Balanced Assessment

What is Essential in Mathematics Literacy What should students be learning in mathematics and what are the implications for classroom practices?

What is Essential in Mathematics Literacy What should students be learning in mathematics and what are the implications for classroom practices?

communication

metacognition

number sense

visualization

patterns

The Fundamentals of Singapore Math

Summary of Oahu’s Discussion

Anchor Task

• Problem-solving Approach (Polya)

• Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract Approach (Bruner)

• Work in Groups and Talking (Vygotsky)

• Student-generated Ideas (Piaget)

• Progression from Literal to Abstract Ideas

• Questions for Self-directed Learning

Teacher Board Writing

Mini White Boards

Student Journal

• Promotes communication

• Allows for assessment

Three-Part Lesson Anchor Task Guided Practice Independent Practice

| Common Core State Standards

What Does Teaching for Relational / Conceptual Understand Look Like?

Teaching for Meaning Making

Concrete Materials

Students are given

bags of 6 beans

each

Anchor Task

How many beans in

4 such bags?

Students Talking

Multiple Responses

Count all

Repeated addition

Multiplication

Board Writing

Student Journal

Meaning Making

4 x 6 is the same as 4 bags of

6 beans. Also linking new

materials (multiplication) to old

materials (addition).

Teaching for Meaning Making

How do I know if I

have taught in a

meaningful way?

• Link to previous

knowledge

• Link to a

concrete

scenario

• Students can

extend their

thinking.

Teaching for Meaning Making

Teaching for Meaning Making

Use of Textbooks

Suggest the kind of

anticipated

responses (add

another six, double,

associative

property and

subtraction

strategy)

As a reflection tool

for students at the

end of the

discussion (“Let’s see

how they do it.”)