Reflection One

What comes to mind when you think about math? For me it evokes memories of frustration and failure. Nevertheless, I am not letting my attitude towards Math detract my children from learning this subject. On the other hand, I am determined to apply interesting approaches to teach this subject so children could really enjoy it.

Singapore Curriculum Framework for Mathematics

The framework set by MOE for Primary School Mathematics states: “The development of mathematical problem solving ability is dependent on five inter-related components, namely, Concepts, Skills, Processes, Attitudes and Metacognition.” These different components should fit together to help children gain skills in using mathematics to solve both abstract and real world problems. Some aspects of our framework are similar to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) but there are also differences. I personally find this framework complex but well thought out because it does not only emphasize on the content but also the processes and the outcomes of learning Mathematics. It is glad to know that our framework takes into consideration of the attitude of the learners. However children and even young adults often complain that mathematics is hard. I also understand that attitudes are shaped by what children’s experiences with learning math are like. Hence it is vital that mathematics is learnt in fun and meaningful ways. Therefore care and attention has to be given when designing lessons for children in order to build an appreciation for this subject.

The Importance of Mathematics in Kindergartens

While we get a lot of attention for our Singapore Math from primary grades onwards, it is also important to look into teaching early math concepts to our kindergarteners and preschoolers. The framework for Singapore Kindergarten emphasizes on nurturing each child holistically and the emphasis related to Mathematics is on Numeracy. Quoted from the book by Van de Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams (2013), “The process standards should not be regarded as separate content in the math curriculum.” This simply means that children should see that Mathematics plays a part in other disciplines such as arts and languages etc. Nonetheless I feel that I grew up learning Mathematics as a separate subject. This would be a strong reminder for me as a teacher to integrate Mathematics into other areas of learning. In this one week course, I hope to learn ways to introduce basic mathematical concepts to our youngest group of children.

References

Ministry Of Education. (2006). Mathematics primary syllabus. Singapore: MOE

Van de Walle, J.A., Karp, K.S. & Bay-Williams, J.M. (2013). Elementary and middle school mathematics. Teaching developmentally. (8^th ed.). NY: Longman.