Improving Math Instruction: The Singapore Experience
1. Improving Math
Instruction
The Singapore Experience
Dr. Yeap Ban Har
Marshall Cavendish Institute
Singapore
Da Qiao Primary School, Singapore
banhar@sg.marshallcavendish.com
Slides are available at www.facebook.com/MCISingapore
4. All major international tests (literacy, science and mathematics) between
1964 and 2003 were placed on a common scale. Selected countries
shown in the table.
Score 1960-1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
500 Japan Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong
Japan Japan Japan
Korea Korea Korea
Singapore Singapore
400 Thailand The Philippines Malaysia Malaysia
Singapore Thailand Thailand
Thailand
300 Indonesia Indonesia
The Philippines The Philippines
Reference: E. Hanusek, D. Jamison, E. Jamison & L. Woessmann (2008)
5. National Curriculum
Revised once every six years
Revised Curriculum in 2013
Learning Experiences are explicit
Mathematical Modeling is emphasized
7. thinkingscho
ols learningnatio
n
Mathematics is “an excellent vehicle
for the development and
improvement of a person’s
intellectual competence”.
Ministry of Education, Singapore (2006)
8.
9. Improving Curriculum
Greenridge Primary School, Singapore
Using Existing Research
Using Data
16. A curriculum as it develops should
revisit these basic ideas repeatedly,
building upon them until the student
has grasped the full formal
apparatus that goes with them.
Bruner 1960
17. A curriculum as it develops should revisit
these basic ideas repeatedly, building upon
Primary 2 them until the student has grasped the full
formal apparatus that goes with them.
Bruner 1960
Primary 3
Primary 4
Primary 5
38. Singapore
MCI Pedagogy
for Professional Learning
As a Learner
As an Observer
As a Reflective Teacher
39. All major international tests (literacy, science and mathematics) between
1964 and 2003 were placed on a common scale. Selected countries
shown in the table.
Score 1960-1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
500 Japan Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong
Japan Japan Japan
Korea Korea Korea
Singapore Singapore
400 Thailand The Philippines Malaysia Malaysia
Singapore Thailand Thailand
Thailand
300 Indonesia Indonesia
The Philippines The Philippines
Reference: E. Hanusek, D. Jamison, E. Jamison & L. Woessmann (2008)
41. dislike math
grade eight mathematics
advanced
like math
average
Singapore 611 48 32 23
South Korea 613 47 8 56
Taiwan 609 49 14 53
Hong Kong 586 34 19 37
Japan 570 27 9 53
International 500 3 26 31
42. intermediate
grade eight mathematics
advanced
average
high
low
Singapore 611 48 78 92 99
Malaysia 440 2 12 36 65
Thailand 427 2 8 26 55
Indonesia 386 0 2 15 43
International 500 3 17 46 75
43. Improving Math
Instruction
The Singapore Experience
Dr. Yeap Ban Har
Marshall Cavendish Institute
Singapore
Da Qiao Primary School, Singapore
banhar@sg.marshallcavendish.com
Slides are available at www.facebook.com/MCISingapore