NSM in Thailand

Teaching Mathematics i n p r i m a r y a n d s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l s

Dr Yeap Ban Har yeapbanhar@gmail.com Slides are available at

www.banhar.blogspot.com

Introduction

Examples

What to Teach

How to Teach

Discussion

Land 270 sq miles

700 sq km

People 5.3 million

GDP per capita 1965 USD500

2012 USD60 000 in current USD

Junyuan Secondary School, Singapore

introduction

In Singapore, the average

learners perform at a high

level. The following are some

data from some international

research on math achievement

and attitude.

Score 1960-1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

500 Japan Hong Kong Japan Korea

Hong Kong Japan Korea

Singapore

Hong Kong Japan Korea

Singapore

400 Thailand The Philippines Singapore Thailand

Malaysia Thailand

Malaysia Thailand

300 Indonesia The Philippines

Indonesia The Philippines

Reference: E. Hanusek, D. Jamison, E. Jamison & L. Woessmann (2008)

All major international tests (literacy, science and mathematics) between 1964 and

2003 were placed on a common scale. Selected countries shown in the table.

gra

de e

ight

ma

them

atics

Singapore

Malaysia

Thailand

Indonesia

International

48

2

2

0

3

78

12

8

2

17

92

36

26

15

46

99

65

55

43

75

611

440

427

386

500

adva

nced

high

inte

rmedia

te

low

ave

rage

gra

de e

ight

ma

them

atics

Singapore

Malaysia

Thailand

Indonesia

International

48

2

2

0

3

32

39

26

20

26

23

15

16

10

31

611

440

427

386

500

adva

nced

like m

ath

dislik

e m

ath

ave

rage

gra

de e

ight

ma

them

atics

Singapore

South Korea

Taiwan

Hong Kong

Japan

48

47

49

34

27

32

8

14

19

9

23

56

53

37

53

611

613

609

586

570

adva

nced

like m

ath

dislik

e m

ath

ave

rage

International 3 26 31 500

1992 Introduction of Problem-

Solving Curriculum

1997 Thinking Schools Learning Nation

1982 Introduction of Singapore mathematics

textbooks as they are known today.

Mathematics is “an excellent

vehicle for the development and

improvement of a person’s

intellectual competence”. Ministry of Education Singapore 2006

Greenridge Primary School, Singapore

examples

What were some methods discussed in class today?