Mathematics Instructional Practices In Singapore Secondary Schools

This book offers a detailed look into the how and what of mathematics instruction in Singapore. It presents multiple aspects of mathematics instruction in schools, ranging from the unique instructional core, practices that promote mastery, development of conceptual knowledge through learning experiences, nurturing of positive attitudes, self-regulation of learning and development and use of instructional materials for making connections across mathematical ideas, developing mathematical reasoning, and developing fluency in applying mathematical knowledge in problem solving.The book presents a methodology that is successful in documenting classroom instruction in a comprehensive manner. The research findings illuminate instruction methods that are culturally situated, robust and proven to impact student learning. It demonstrates how a unique data source can be analysed through multiple lenses and provides readers with a rich portrait of how the school mathematics instruction is enacted in Singapore secondary schools.

This title provides much food for thought and pointers to meet future challenges in mathematics education not only within Singapore, but also in other countries.

This book series will provide readers with the landscape of mathematics teaching practices in Singapore classroom. In this first book of the series, Theory-Informed Practices, the book will have a collection of teachers' classroom practices that are informed by theory. It will provide classroom exemplars of how teachers make use of theories to inform their practices to better cater to the needs of the learners. This book which targets at the practitioners is written in a way that help the practitioners to be better in consuming and applying such efforts in the own classrooms. It provides the interested readers not only the landscape but also the spectrum of pedagogical approaches and strategies that are theoretically informed and adopted by the Singapore mathematics teachers. This book is written by expert teachers for teachers. It will also be of interest to graduate students, mathematics educators and the international mathematics education community who are looking for greater insights to the Singapore mathematics classrooms.

This book provides a one-stop resource for mathematics educators, policy makers and all who are interested in learning more about the why, what and how of mathematics education in Singapore. The content is organized according to three significant and closely interrelated components: the Singapore mathematics curriculum, mathematics teacher education and professional development, and learners in Singapore mathematics classrooms. Written by leading researchers with an intimate understanding of Singapore mathematics education, this up-to-date book reports the latest trends in Singapore mathematics classrooms, including mathematical modelling and problem solving in the real-world context.

This edited volume explores key areas of interests in Singapore math and science education including issues on teacher education, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, teaching practices, applied learning, ecology of learning, talent grooming, culture of science and math, vocational education and STEM. It presents to policymakers and educators a clear picture of the education scene in Singapore and insights into the role of math and science education in helping the country excel beyond international studies such as PISA, the pedagogical and curricula advancements in math and science learning, and the research and practices that give Singaporean students the competitive edge in facing the uncertain and challenging landscape of the future.

This book documents the journey undertaken by educators from the Mathematics and Mathematics Education (MME) Academic Group in the National Institute of Education (NIE) and Singapore schools during a Mathematical Modelling Outreach (MMO) event in June 2010 under the guidance of renowned experts in the field of mathematical modelling. The main goal of MMO was to reach out to Singapore primary and secondary schools and introduce the potentials of mathematical modelling as a platform for eliciting mathematical thinking, communication, and reasoning among students. This book contributes to the expanding literature on mathematical modelling by offering voices from the Singaporean context. It suggests how theoretical perspectives on mathematical modelling can be transformed into actual practice in schools, all within the existing infrastructure of the current Singapore mathematics curriculum. More importantly, the book provides documentary evidence on how plans put in place through MMO in 2010 have since been realised. The publication of this book is hence timely at this juncture. Not only does the book record how MMO was among the first pebbles launched into the pond, it also serves as a bridge over which educators can stand upon to view how the ripple effect had developed from the initial MMO pebble and the directions it may continue to extend. Perhaps in the process, other ripples in the teaching, learning, and research of mathematical modelling can be created. Contents:Introduction: Mathematical Modelling Outreach in Singapore (NG Kit Ee Dawn and LEE Ngan Hoe)Setting the Stage for Mathematical Modelling in Schools:Promotion of Mathematical Modelling Competencies in the Context of Modelling Projects (Gabriele KAISER and Susanne GRÜNEWALD)Problem Finding and Problem Posing for Mathematical Modelling (Gloria STILLMAN)Mathematical Modelling in Singapore Schools: A Framework for Instruction (ANG Keng Cheng)Mathematical Modelling in Australia (Vincent GEIGER)Mathematical Modelling in Japan (Toshikazu IKEDA)Fostering Mathematical Modelling in Schools:Learning through Modelling in the Primary Years (Lyn D ENGLISH)Fostering Mathematical Modelling in Secondary Schools (Gloria STILLMAN)Mathematical Modelling — An Example from an Inter-School Modelling Challenge (Raymond BROWN, Trevor REDMOND, Joanne SHEEHY and Dawn LANG)Mathematical Learning through Modelling Tasks:Learning through "Designing a Café" (YEO Kai Kow Joseph)Learning through "Plane Punctuality" (HO Weng Kin)Learning through "Mobile Phone Plan" (CHENG Lu Pien and CHUA Kwee Gek)Learning through "The Best Paper Plane" (SOON Wan Mei Amanda, CHIOK Hwee Fen and KONG May Hua Maybelline)Learning through "Designing a Tent" (HO Siew Yin)Learning through "Dream Home" (CHAN Chun Ming Eric)Learning through "The Unsinkable Titanic" (JAGUTHSING Dindyal and FOO Him Ho) Readership: Graduate students and researchers in mathematics education; mathematics educators. Keywords:Mathematical Modelling;Mathematical Modelling in Singapore;Modelling Competencies;Model-Eliciting Tasks;Modelling Research;Modelling Projects;Theoretical Perspectives on Mathematical Modelling;Modelling framework;Teacher Education in Mathematical ModellingKey Features:This book discusses the use of mathematical modelling activities for teaching and learning in Singapore classrooms, drawing upon experiences from other countriesIt provides focused discussions on the practicalities of conducting modelling activities in the classroom based on actual implementation in the Singapore context, drawing on the Singapore Mathematics Curriculum and other curriculaIt also proposes the way forward in addressing the issue of mathematical modelling for teacher education and curricula planning in the Singapore context

The book Making Mathematics Practical (published by World Scientific in 2011) proposes a new paradigm in teaching problem solving in secondary school mathematics classrooms. It is a report of the research project “Mathematical Problem Solving for Everyone” (MProSE), which attempts to provide all the necessary resources for teachers to teach problem solving in schools. This book reports as a follow-up on the actual enactment of the proposed MProSE problem solving curriculum in five Singapore schools. The experimental schools, which span across the entire spectrum of all Singapore secondary schools, report how they tweak the MProSE proposal to fit into their school curriculum, together with issues, challenges and success stories in implementing such an innovative curriculum in Singapore schools. It is an ideal handbook for educators who believe in problem solving as the core of mathematics curriculum and who wish to implement such an approach in their schools.