蜜桃影视

鈥淲hen is Cheryl鈥檚 birthday?鈥�

When the ambiguous high school math problem went viral in April, complete with a handful of seemingly arbitrary answers, it sent many older Americans into a tailspin of confusion. Given the relatively cryptic clues provided, so many wondered, how could you possibly arrive at a definitive answer.

But the quiz wasn鈥檛 designed for American adults; it was developed for advanced teenagers in Singapore 鈥� and as it’s reached stumped web surfers around the globe, it became the most visible example yet of a national approach to math education that鈥檚 raising the bar.

Since the 1980s, schools in Singapore have taken an innovative approach to teaching elementary math 鈥� a curriculum that focuses on problem solving with pictures and diagrams. Before the switch, the country鈥檚 math students 鈥渨eren鈥檛 even registering on the charts as far as international ratings go,鈥� says Dan Brillon, director of Singapore Math Inc., a company that distributes Singaporean math textbooks in the United States.

Within a decade, 聽Singapore 鈥渟hot to the top!鈥�

In the U.S., Kevin Mahoney said he hears it all the time: 鈥淚鈥檓 just not a math person.鈥� But it doesn鈥檛 work that way, said Mahoney, a math curriculum coordinator at a school near Boston who helps to implement the Singapore math curriculum at schools across the country.

And students and parents in Singapore know it.

鈥淚n the States, we tend to 鈥� whether we like it or not 鈥� we believe children are born with mathematical ability,鈥� Mahoney said. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not true in countries like Singapore, where it鈥檚 believed that effort is the thing that makes you smarter in math.鈥�

In 2013, only 34 percent of fourth-graders in the U.S. performed at a proficient level in math, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Only 27 percent of U.S. eighth-graders performed at a proficient level in math. Although some school districts have found the Singapore math curriculum is difficult to implement, advocates argue it could boost America鈥檚 math scores. So far, more than 2,500 schools 鈥� and an even greater number of homeschoolers 鈥� have made the leap.

Here are six reasons why 鈥淪ingapore Math鈥� is catching on in American schools:

1 Singapore students are the world鈥檚 math leaders.

Since the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study started ranking countries鈥� competitiveness in math literacy in 1995, Singapore has consistently ranked among the best. Established by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, TIMSS 2011, the most recent report, ranked Singaporean fourth-graders in first place and eighth-graders in second.

Another international study, the Program for International Student Assessment, shows Singapore鈥檚 15-year-olds are among the best at problem solving, able to solve unstructured problems in unfamiliar contexts.

2 Singapore Math focuses on mastery, not just learning for a test.

The Singaporean curriculum, which the country鈥檚 Ministry of Education created, generally focuses on fewer topics but in greater depth. Students don鈥檛 just learn equations to reach an answer; they learn how the equation works. 鈥淲e generally cover 13 to 15 concepts per grade level,鈥� Brillon said, 鈥渂ut really refining the curriculum allows students to hammer home those skills.鈥�

3 Visual and audible learners are thriving.

Learning math begins with the concrete: blocks, cards, buttons, whatever. Then there are abstract equations: 2 + 3 = 5. But Singapore math introduces the 鈥減ictorial鈥� phase 鈥� a bridge between concrete and abstract.

Based on the work of American psychologist Jerome Bruner, the Singaporean curriculum begins with hands-on group activities with objects like buttons or dice. Next, students move onto the pictorial phase 鈥� drawing representations of concrete objects before moving on to abstract equations.

This visual approach, Brillon said, helps drive Singapore math鈥檚 success. 鈥淚f they were first counting buttons or聽coins, they would open the book to see buttons or coins,鈥� Brillon said.

4 Layered strategies build upon one another.

With the Singaporean curriculum, one skillset is a foundation for future lessons 鈥渓ike LEGO bricks carefully situated next to the other,鈥� Mahoney said. This differs from the typical approach in the U.S., which follows a 鈥渟piral鈥� 鈥� where material is revisited in the course of months or years, which Mahoney said is often jarring for teachers and students alike.

5 It aligns with Common Core State Standards.

When the Common Core standards were developed, policymakers looked to the success of other high-performing countries, including countries that scored well on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Remember: Singapore is consistently at the top.

It鈥檚 no surprise Common Core standards mirror several Singaporean approaches, including a narrower focus with greater depth. But to better align to the standards in each state, Brillon said Singapore Math Inc. introduced new textbooks last year.

6 Studies show instant improvement.

In 2005, a study from the American Institutes for Research highlighted why Singapore鈥檚 approach to teaching math was successful. But the study didn鈥檛 show how the approach would work in American classrooms.

As a doctoral student at Northeastern University, Mahoney published the first study examining the effects of Singaporean teaching techniques on American students.

鈥淎cross the board in every case, all of these students were able to make substantial gains,鈥� Mahoney said. In June, a study released in the United Kingdom reached a similar conclusion: teaching Singapore math in the west can drive a small gain in students鈥� math skills. After one academic year of Singapore math education, gains were equivalent to about one extra month of instruction, according to the study.

Still, Mahoney said he is vying for a comprehensive, national study to investigate the effects of the Singapore math curriculum in the U.S. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that is radically different,鈥� Mahoney said. 鈥淚t sounds exotic, but it鈥檚 just elementary mathematics taught in a powerful and potent way.鈥�

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 蜜桃影视鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.