Comments on: Miracle Math http://educationnext.org/miracle-math/ Education Next is a journal of opinion and research about education policy. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:56:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Barry Garelick http://educationnext.org/miracle-math/comment-page-1/#comment-52689 Barry Garelick Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:20:36 +0000 http://content.hks.harvard.edu/educationnext/?p=3853357#comment-52689 Tan Hui Ning: Thanks for your comment. I agree that in secondary school these topics are covered in Singapore's texts. My article focused on the lower grades, and I was referring to the primary texts and it was surely not meant as a criticism. Rather, in the US, various atate math standards require certain aspects of data analysis to be covered. This has offered a readymade excuse for some states and/or school districts to not adopt Singapore Math, citing that the primary series does not align with the state standards, as was done in Maryland. Singapore has revised its K-6 textbooks so that they do cover aspects of data analysis required in most state standards. In fact, there has been a special series of primary series textbooks that align with California's standards, and these books are called the "Standards Edition". Tan Hui Ning:

Thanks for your comment. I agree that in secondary school these topics are covered in Singapore’s texts. My article focused on the lower grades, and I was referring to the primary texts and it was surely not meant as a criticism. Rather, in the US, various atate math standards require certain aspects of data analysis to be covered. This has offered a readymade excuse for some states and/or school districts to not adopt Singapore Math, citing that the primary series does not align with the state standards, as was done in Maryland. Singapore has revised its K-6 textbooks so that they do cover aspects of data analysis required in most state standards. In fact, there has been a special series of primary series textbooks that align with California’s standards, and these books are called the “Standards Edition”.

]]> By: Tan Hui Ning http://educationnext.org/miracle-math/comment-page-1/#comment-52658 Tan Hui Ning Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:20:09 +0000 http://content.hks.harvard.edu/educationnext/?p=3853357#comment-52658 I am a student from Singapore and have already finished all 6 years of Primary school and 4 years of Secondary school. In your article you mentioned that data analysis, statistics, and probability are not included in the Singapore text books. Though it is not included in the Primary Mathematics textbooks it is included in the Secondary Mathematics textbooks along with a host of other topics. We even learn how to draw Cumulative Frequency cruves along side the Curved and Linear graphs in Secondary school. So just because it is not included in the textbooks you have been exposed to it does not mean that "Singapore’s texts do not address" theese topics. But all in all thanks for writing this article I have enjoyed reading this throughly :) I am a student from Singapore and have already finished all 6 years of Primary school and 4 years of Secondary school.
In your article you mentioned that data analysis, statistics, and probability are not included in the Singapore text books.
Though it is not included in the Primary Mathematics textbooks it is included in the Secondary Mathematics textbooks along with a host of other topics.
We even learn how to draw Cumulative Frequency cruves along side the Curved and Linear graphs in Secondary school.
So just because it is not included in the textbooks you have been exposed to it does not mean that “Singapore’s texts do not address” theese topics.
But all in all thanks for writing this article I have enjoyed reading this throughly :)

]]> By: Aysegul Acar-Dreyer http://educationnext.org/miracle-math/comment-page-1/#comment-32015 Aysegul Acar-Dreyer Tue, 05 Oct 2010 18:15:27 +0000 http://content.hks.harvard.edu/educationnext/?p=3853357#comment-32015 Singapore Math method has worked for my daughter. After we began seriously supplementing the Everyday Math and TERC used at her Fairfax County Elementary School, with Singapore Math at home when she was in 3rd grade, we saw both her grades and self confidence in math go up. I know for certain that if it weren't for SM, she would continue to believe that she is just not good at math - and yes, Math is not her strength, but SM has enabled her to understand concepts so much better. She often says to me "Momy, it is really difficult for me to want to do extra math, but once I start doing Singapore Math, I just don't want to stop." Parents should definitely look into this and explore the SM website and the books http://www.singaporemath.com and communicate with their school board. We’ve also used their science activities at home. The books are rather inexpensive and definitely cheaper than after school tutoring. There was a recent Voice of America segment about training Elementary School teachers in the US in Singapore Math: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Singapore-Math-Adds-Up-for-US-Teachers-100338189.html The interesting thing is that Mr. Baldridge's (an expert trainer of teachers on Singapore Method) two books "Elementary Mathematics for Teachers" and "Elementary Geometry for Teachers" were rated highest among college math textbooks for teachers in the June 2008 report of the National Council on Teacher Quality "No Common Denominator - The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics by America’s Education Schools" http://www.nctq.org/p/publications/docs/nctq_ttmath_fullreport_20080717081714.pdf May our own Fairfax County School Board and other school districts hear what parents say about the benefits of Singapore Math. Singapore Math method has worked for my daughter. After we began seriously supplementing the Everyday Math and TERC used at her Fairfax County Elementary School, with Singapore Math at home when she was in 3rd grade, we saw both her grades and self confidence in math go up.

I know for certain that if it weren’t for SM, she would continue to believe that she is just not good at math – and yes, Math is not her strength, but SM has enabled her to understand concepts so much better.

She often says to me “Momy, it is really difficult for me to want to do extra math, but once I start doing Singapore Math, I just don’t want to stop.”

Parents should definitely look into this and explore the SM website and the books http://www.singaporemath.com and communicate with their school board.
We’ve also used their science activities at home. The books are rather inexpensive and definitely cheaper than after school tutoring.

There was a recent Voice of America segment about training Elementary School teachers in the US in Singapore Math: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Singapore-Math-Adds-Up-for-US-Teachers-100338189.html

The interesting thing is that Mr. Baldridge’s (an expert trainer of teachers on Singapore Method) two books “Elementary Mathematics for Teachers” and “Elementary Geometry for Teachers” were rated highest among college math textbooks for teachers in the June 2008 report of the National Council on Teacher Quality “No Common Denominator – The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics by America’s Education Schools”
http://www.nctq.org/p/publications/docs/nctq_ttmath_fullreport_20080717081714.pdf

May our own Fairfax County School Board and other school districts hear what parents say about the benefits of Singapore Math.

]]> By: Barry Garelick http://educationnext.org/miracle-math/comment-page-1/#comment-31754 Barry Garelick Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:08:34 +0000 http://content.hks.harvard.edu/educationnext/?p=3853357#comment-31754 Yes, the NY Times article makes it seem as if Singapore Math represents reform teaching and that Singapore teaches math the way reformers would like to see it taught. In fact, Singapore works because it relies on techniques and principles that the reformers have decried: that procedural fluency is critical to solving problems. Yes, the NY Times article makes it seem as if Singapore Math represents reform teaching and that Singapore teaches math the way reformers would like to see it taught. In fact, Singapore works because it relies on techniques and principles that the reformers have decried: that procedural fluency is critical to solving problems.

]]> By: Edward http://educationnext.org/miracle-math/comment-page-1/#comment-31693 Edward Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:34:18 +0000 http://content.hks.harvard.edu/educationnext/?p=3853357#comment-31693 Thank you. This article gave me the background the recent NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/education/01math.html) was missing. Thank you. This article gave me the background the recent NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/education/01math.html) was missing.

]]>