Comments on: Delighting in the Start of a New School Year http://www.principiawire.com/2012/09/delighting-in-the-start-of-a-new-school-year/ Fri, 03 May 2013 15:02:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Mike_Moyle http://www.principiawire.com/2012/09/delighting-in-the-start-of-a-new-school-year/#comment-332 Mike_Moyle Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:24:00 +0000 http://www.principiawire.com/?p=10337#comment-332 This article mentions the new Singapore math program.  The American version of Singapore Math, known as Math in Focus, is being used at grade levels kindergarten through eight.  (It’s published by the same publisher that produces the traditional Singapore Math program, but the names and units of measurement have been changed for American students.)  We’re very excited about this approach.  First, problem solving is at the core of the program, with the other aspects being skills, concepts, processes, metacognition, and attitudes.  The approach emphasizes the importance of starting with concrete experience, then moving to pictorial, and finally working with the abstract.  It emphasizes teaching less concepts at each grade level but really making sure students master those concepts. 

In the 1980′s, Singapore students didn’t perform very well on the TIMSS assessment, that is given world-wide.  Their Ministry of Education researched best practices around the world in the field of math and created their curriculum around those practices.  They have been top performers on the TIMSS assessment since 1995.

Several other independent and public schools in the St. Louis area are using this approach.

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