Singapore Math

[Synaesthesia]

+100 I couldn't agree more.

Well, I do give maths extra classes to underprivileged children from grade 8 to grade 12. The maths are basically the same as when I matriculated and it is the same as all the papers I worked out when I matriculated (back in 1999), so I don't see the whole argument of our maths syllabus on school is declining. I do how ever have a huge issue with the children not knowing how to do basic arithmetic and the always pull out their calculators to do simple things like 60/5. But this could also be due to the children not having the best schooling , because I know that there were children in my school that always pulled out the calculator to things as well, so it isn't limited to this generation. I just think they should make it illegal to use a calculator on school, they don't really have to use it that much in there syllabus anyway, even in trig most of the stuff is standard angles anyway too.

 

[Picard]

When I grew up, teachers were really highly regarded and were seen as professional people (or in my view), but I don't think this is the same anymore. Teachers are not being taken good care of and that people that would have considered to be a teacher studies something else, and we loose good quality teachers that way. This is only my opinion, and I don't know if there has been a study on this.

As you say there once was a time where teachers were highly regarded because they had a tertiary qualification. But since our westernized society has become so technologically advanced many parents are now holding qualifications more advanced than the teachers'. This leads to an attitude of superiority and rubs off on the children. A likely scenario: Kid runs into trouble at school, goes home and complains to parent, parent reponds with "stupid teacher", kid hears it and it instills a greater feeling of fearlessness and disrespect in him/her.

I see the same attitude among those holding qualifications in the natural or economic sciences ... those stupid humanities students who can't do a proper degree.

 

[ponder]

I see the same attitude among those holding qualifications in the natural or economic sciences ... those stupid humanities students who can't do a proper degree.

But it's true

 

[scotty777]

Given a formula sheet? Geez, back in my day we had to be able prove the formula, not just know it. Granted, you may still have to understand maths to do well, but being given a formula sheet is a joke!

Yup, I had to learn the hard way not to rely on a formula sheet... Just for engineering physics, I had to learn 120 odd formulas, no formula sheet so no crutch. Ultimately you realize it's better to just know how to get to the formula (so you know say 40 formulas, but you derive the rest), than to remember it. The best subject to learn to this from is applied maths, because with F=ma, you can find most of what you need

Well, I do give maths extra classes to underprivileged children from grade 8 to grade 12. The maths are basically the same as when I matriculated and it is the same as all the papers I worked out when I matriculated (back in 1999), so I don't see the whole argument of our maths syllabus on school is declining. I do how ever have a huge issue with the children not knowing how to do basic arithmetic and the always pull out their calculators to do simple things like 60/5. But this could also be due to the children not having the best schooling , because I know that there were children in my school that always pulled out the calculator to things as well, so it isn't limited to this generation. I just think they should make it illegal to use a calculator on school, they don't really have to use it that much in there syllabus anyway, even in trig most of the stuff is standard angles anyway too.

Again, all that should be basic knowledge by the time you get out of school. A calculator should be used for those nasty things, and even then, taking a assumed value should be taught... ie: root 3, must be less than 2, and greater than 1.5, so it should be around 1.7, 1.8. Sometimes you miss type into your calculator, and gave an idea of what the answer is helps you if a weird answer appears .

But it's true

hee hee, well, sure, the engineers, med students, Act. Science and Bcom students are going to mock the BA students, simply because the BA students don't have to spend weeks studying .


Personally, I think there should be a one year bridging course for Maths, English and maybe Science... As in, if a child wants to go to uni, they must complete a year where all they do is write essays, do maths assignments/tests and science. Obviously, if you studying English, then you just do English... If you studying anything to do with Sciences, then all three are compulsory.
The reason why I say this is because now, kids are coming out of school without a good grasp of written English, and doing maths (while they get good marks, they don't understand the work enough to be pliable). Hell, even Wits now makes all the engineering students take an English course whereby you do creative writing and what not. Helps with report writing.

 

[ponder]

hee hee, well, sure, the engineers, med students, Act. Science and Bcom students are going to mock the BA students, simply because the BA students don't have to spend weeks studying .


Personally, I think there should be a one year bridging course for Maths, English and maybe Science... As in, if a child wants to go to uni, they must complete a year where all they do is write essays, do maths assignments/tests and science. Obviously, if you studying English, then you just do English... If you studying anything to do with Sciences, then all three are compulsory.
The reason why I say this is because now, kids are coming out of school without a good grasp of written English, and doing maths (while they get good marks, they don't understand the work enough to be pliable). Hell, even Wits now makes all the engineering students take an English course whereby you do creative writing and what not. Helps with report writing.

There are way to many people doing useless BA degrees and I reckon they do them because many can't get in to other fields due to their schooling.

That's treating the symptoms & not the cause. They need to fix Grade 1-12 so that when people arrive at tertiary education they know what's cutting. In my day there was none of this bridging course nonsense etc. They are now making people take subjects to make up for what school should have taught them.

 

[phoneJunky]

I don't agree with you guys regarding the formula sheet. I am an engineer and there is no way I can remember all the formulas that I have used while working and F =ma is about the only formula I can remember from varsity (maybe E = mc^2). You just go look it up in a text book or on a reliable website.

I don't even own a calculator and I work with maths the whole day. Those stuff should be banned. I lost my calculator before my final paper on varsity and I just worked out everything in symbol form till before you had an answer and then waited for someone to leave so I could lend his calculator, but I am pretty sure the lecturers would have been satisfied with my answers if I didn't even give the answers in numerical form (I might have lost 1 or 2 marks per question though).

Well, from what I remember from varsity, BA students studied much more than engineering students, but engineering students had much more class. Engineering students just had to addend every class 8-5 everyday with an hour break for lunch and studied 2 days before the exam. BA people studied like 3 weeks before the exam, lots more reading form them to do.

And I think I would have became a teacher if they weren't treaded that badly, I still sometime feel that I want to do my Higher Education Diploma, but I first want to pay of my house and buy a beach house, so chances of me becoming a teacher is fairly low.

 

[ponder]

I don't agree with you guys regarding the formula sheet. I am an engineer and there is no way I can remember all the formulas that I have used while working and F =ma is about the only formula I can remember from varsity (maybe E = mc^2). You just go look it up in a text book or on a reliable website.

Agreed and there is not enough time in a exam to derive the formula either. I only remember a few anyway.

 

[phoneJunky]

There are way to many people doing useless BA degrees and I reckon they do them because many can't get in to other fields due to their schooling.

That's treating the symptoms & not the cause. They need to fix Grade 1-12 so that when people arrive at tertiary education they know what's cutting. In my day there was none of this bridging course nonsense etc. They are now making people take subjects to make up for what school should have taught them.

When I was at varsity, there was this program that helped people from previous disadvantaged backgrounds and didn't have the necessary marks (not marks but they did maths SG and not HG and wanted to do engineering etc) to qualify for certain degrees and they redid the maths HG and some other varsity courses and the people that did that did really well on varsity, so I don't know if the bridging course stuff can be rubbed of as nonsense. Sure we want our schooling system up to standard so that we don't need to do extra things to get students ready.

 

[w1z4rd]

I received a notice today from the school my eldest is starting at next year (grade 1) that they're switching over to Singapore Math.

Does anyone have any experience with this syllabus? How does it compare to what is currently being taught in SA schools?

Hey that looks like a positive change!

"The method has become more popular since the release of scores from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study[6] in 2003 showed Singapore at the top of the world in 4th and 8th grade mathematics."

Seems to work!