Lessons to learn: U.S. vs. Singapore math.

Lessons to learn: U.S. vs. Singapore math. When a particular country comes out on top for student achievementin a well-known well-knownadj.1. Widely known; familiar or famous: a well-known performer.2. Fully known: well-known facts. international study, educators are bound to be talkingabout what that country might be doing right. But singing the praises ofSingapore Singapore(sĭng`gəpôr, sĭng`ə–, sĭng'gəpôr`), officially Republic of Singapore, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,426,000), 240 sq mi (625 sq km). , which ranked first in the world in mathematics achievement inthe Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study-2003, canreally only begin when harmony is reached about what's being donein schools over there.That's what an American American,river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of Institutes for Research study, whichwas funded by the U.S. Department of Education, aimed to find out.Researchers worked on the assumption that there must be something aboutSingapore's system of teaching math that the U.S. can learn from.What they discovered was that while the U.S. math program is weaker thanSingapore's in most respects, it's it's?1. Contraction of it is.2. Contraction of it has. See Usage Note at its.it'sit is or it hasit'sbe ~have stronger in some areas.SINGAPORE STRENGTHS* The study indicates a correlation between focused frameworks likethose used in Singapore and good test performance. Lower-performingstudents are offered an alternative math framework covering the sametopics at a slower pace and with greater repetition REPETITION, construction of wills. A repetition takes place when the same testator, by the same testamentary instrument, gives to the same legatee legacies of equal amount and of the same kind; in such case the latter is considered a repetition of the former, and the legatee is entitled .* Singapore's textbooks build deep understanding ofmathematical concepts while traditional U.S. textbooks rarely get beyonddefinitions and formulas.* Elementary school elementary school:see school. teachers in Singapore are required todemonstrate mathematics skills superior to those of their U.S.counterparts before beginning paid college training to become teachers.They receive 100 hours of professional development each year.* Singapore uses more challenging tests and utilizes a value-added val��ue-add��edadj.Of or relating to the estimated value that is added to a product or material at each stage of its manufacture or distribution: approach that rewards schools for individual student progress over time.U.S. STRENGTHS* Frameworks give greater emphasis to developing 21st centurymathematical skills such as representation, reasoning, makingconnections and communication compared to Singapore.* Frameworks and textbooks place greater emphasis on appliedmathematics, including statistics and probability.As reactions to the report reach AIR, spokesman Larry Lar´ryn. 1. Same as Lorry, or Lorrie. McQuillannotes that the differences in textbooks and in assessments seem to begenerating some of the greatest interest. "I think that thespecificity and the examples in these areas more graphically communicatethe differences and the possibilities for doing thingsdifferently," he says.www.air.org/newsOne Step at a TimeCompared to assessments in the U.S.overall, Singapore includes significantlymore multi-step test items. Requiringreason, these items often ask studentsto use information from an initial step tosolve other parts of the problem.Multi-step items for: %Singapore--Grade 6 25Florida--Grade 8 12New Jersey--Grade 8 33North Carolina--Grade 6 8North Carolina--Grade 8 5Ohio--Grade 6 17Texas--Grade 6 7Texas--Grade 8 6NAEP *--Grade 4 15NAEP *--Grade 8 21* NAEP data based on entire item poolSOURCE: What the United States Can Learn FromSingapore's World-Class Mathematics System (andWhat Singapore Can Learn from the United States), AIRUser Tips for U.S. DistrictsResearchers at AIR identified more than 80 U.S. school systems withSingapore math textbooks. After examining the four districts meetingtheir criteria for extensive program use and data tracking, the studyauthors recommend that those who are planning to introduce Singaporeanmath textbooks do the following:* Be prepared to formally train teachers and let them observe andmeet with other teachers using the books,* Introduce the books to kindergarten kindergarten[Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be and first-grade students andcontinue instruction from there; use them over a substantial geographicarea so mobile students have a better chance of transferring to schoolsusing the books.* Offer weaker students extended instruction time and extra help,* Ensure that any misalignment mis��a��ligned?adj.Incorrectly aligned.misa��lignment n. between the Singapore textbook textbookInformatics A treatise on a particular subject. See Bible. andstate math frameworks and assessments is addressed in advance.* Use the current U.S. edition of Singapore books, whichincorporate the English measurement system, U.S. currency and Americanexamples and terminology.