31-03-2014, 10:44 PM
For the better or for the worst? Singapore 2nd but quality of life?
Singapore kids streets ahead on maths
• JUSTINE FERRARI
• THE AUSTRALIAN
• APRIL 01, 2014 12:00AM
•
Ellenbrook Independent Primary School teacher Stacey-Anne Barile with Year 3 students yesterday. Picture: Will Russell Source: News Corp Australia
KEY maths concepts such as multiplication, division and simplifying fractions are taught to students in Singapore at least one year earlier than in Australia, with Singapore schools spending more time on solving non-routine problems.
In their first year of school, Singapore students are taught multiplication and division, including multiplying numbers within 40 and dividing numbers within 20. The concept of multiplication is not introduced in the Australian curriculum until Year 2, the third year of school.
Simplifying fractions to their lowest common denominator is taught to Singapore students in Year 3 and to Australian students in Year 4, while in Year 4 Singapore students are multiplying fractions that Australian students are not tackling until the end of primary school.
A report comparing the Singapore and Australian curriculums, commissioned by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, found Singapore schools spent about twice as much time on basic operations and geometry in the first few years of school and had a greater focus on problem solving.
The report says there is considerable overlap of the two courses, but a “significant difference in the intensity of coverage and breadth of cognitive demand’’. Singapore spends more time in the early years mastering basic operations and geometric concepts, while Australia introduces more topics earlier such as probability, technology and “general capabilities and processes”.
The difference was brought home starkly to primary school principal Neil MacNeill when facing the concerns of a Singaporean family whose daughter started at Ellenbrook Independent Primary School in Perth.
The mother came into the office and desperately said: ‘My child finds your maths too easy and she should be advanced a year’,” Dr MacNeill said. “I thought she was a tiger mother and explained that we are using the Australian curriculum at the right level and the social aspects of learning are equally valued here.
“The father then came to school and pointed out: ‘This is what my daughter was doing in Singapore and this is what you expect her to do here.
“There’s a mile of difference. When my daughter goes back to Singapore, they’ll place her in the remedial maths class after two years in your school’.”
The exchange prompted Dr MacNeill to look at the Singapore maths course, which raised his concern that the Australian curriculum was not challenging students enough.
“The Singaporeans introduce some maths concepts earlier but they really push problem solving, which is an example of double loop learning,’’ he said.
“Australia competes in a global market for jobs and business and there is no reason why we should not be competitive in international testing. If we were to change our standards and goalposts, our teachers and students could effect these changes, and achieve comparability.”
Singapore schools start at Year 1 and do not have a prep year, unlike Australia, but their students are among the world’s best at maths.
In the most recent international test of 15-year-olds conducted by the OECD group of industrialised nations, in 2012, Singapore ranked second in the world in maths, with Australian students about 70 points behind in 19th place.
Emeritus professor of mathematics education at the University of Melbourne Kaye Stacey said the perception of Singapore was that it concentrated on rote learning without properly understanding the concepts.
Professor Stacey, who chaired the international maths expert group for the 2012 OECD tests and was involved in setting the questions, said Singapore students did very well in questions that required them to apply their maths.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief executive Rob Randall said the national curriculum had raised expectations in mathematics across the country and as implementation proceeds ACARA would continue to check the expectations against other countries.
Singapore kids streets ahead on maths
• JUSTINE FERRARI
• THE AUSTRALIAN
• APRIL 01, 2014 12:00AM
•
Ellenbrook Independent Primary School teacher Stacey-Anne Barile with Year 3 students yesterday. Picture: Will Russell Source: News Corp Australia
KEY maths concepts such as multiplication, division and simplifying fractions are taught to students in Singapore at least one year earlier than in Australia, with Singapore schools spending more time on solving non-routine problems.
In their first year of school, Singapore students are taught multiplication and division, including multiplying numbers within 40 and dividing numbers within 20. The concept of multiplication is not introduced in the Australian curriculum until Year 2, the third year of school.
Simplifying fractions to their lowest common denominator is taught to Singapore students in Year 3 and to Australian students in Year 4, while in Year 4 Singapore students are multiplying fractions that Australian students are not tackling until the end of primary school.
A report comparing the Singapore and Australian curriculums, commissioned by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, found Singapore schools spent about twice as much time on basic operations and geometry in the first few years of school and had a greater focus on problem solving.
The report says there is considerable overlap of the two courses, but a “significant difference in the intensity of coverage and breadth of cognitive demand’’. Singapore spends more time in the early years mastering basic operations and geometric concepts, while Australia introduces more topics earlier such as probability, technology and “general capabilities and processes”.
The difference was brought home starkly to primary school principal Neil MacNeill when facing the concerns of a Singaporean family whose daughter started at Ellenbrook Independent Primary School in Perth.
The mother came into the office and desperately said: ‘My child finds your maths too easy and she should be advanced a year’,” Dr MacNeill said. “I thought she was a tiger mother and explained that we are using the Australian curriculum at the right level and the social aspects of learning are equally valued here.
“The father then came to school and pointed out: ‘This is what my daughter was doing in Singapore and this is what you expect her to do here.
“There’s a mile of difference. When my daughter goes back to Singapore, they’ll place her in the remedial maths class after two years in your school’.”
The exchange prompted Dr MacNeill to look at the Singapore maths course, which raised his concern that the Australian curriculum was not challenging students enough.
“The Singaporeans introduce some maths concepts earlier but they really push problem solving, which is an example of double loop learning,’’ he said.
“Australia competes in a global market for jobs and business and there is no reason why we should not be competitive in international testing. If we were to change our standards and goalposts, our teachers and students could effect these changes, and achieve comparability.”
Singapore schools start at Year 1 and do not have a prep year, unlike Australia, but their students are among the world’s best at maths.
In the most recent international test of 15-year-olds conducted by the OECD group of industrialised nations, in 2012, Singapore ranked second in the world in maths, with Australian students about 70 points behind in 19th place.
Emeritus professor of mathematics education at the University of Melbourne Kaye Stacey said the perception of Singapore was that it concentrated on rote learning without properly understanding the concepts.
Professor Stacey, who chaired the international maths expert group for the 2012 OECD tests and was involved in setting the questions, said Singapore students did very well in questions that required them to apply their maths.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief executive Rob Randall said the national curriculum had raised expectations in mathematics across the country and as implementation proceeds ACARA would continue to check the expectations against other countries.