STEM Education Institute Tuesday Seminar
“What is Singapore Math? What Can We Learn From It?”
Richard Bisk
Mathematics Dept, Worcester State College
Dr. Bisk will provide an overview of the Singapore Math approach for grades 1-6. There has been considerable interest in the Singapore program because of their top ranking at grades 4 and 8 in the TIMSS reports. These textbooks emphasize strong conceptual understanding while supporting procedural fluency. The presentation will describe the program's key characteristics and how it differs from what we see in many American texts. Particular emphasis will be placed on model drawing, a powerful tool for teaching problem solving that provides students with a concrete basis for the study of algebra. This talk should be of interest to K-12 teachers, mathematicians and math educators.