There’s magic in the way we teach Mathematics in Singapore

By Arthur Lee


Last year (2016), a global benchmarking study ranked Singapore’ students the world’s best in mathematics and science.



It was the second time that Singapore outdid all other countries in the study which takes place every four years. The last time it did so was in 2003.


And apparently, the Singapore style of teaching mathematics has already been used in thousand of schools across the United States and is making its way into British schools as well.


So what’s that special magic about the way Mathematics is taught in our school?


According to a Mathematics teacher who has been in the force for 8 years said that the current style of teaching, which is known has actually been in use since the 1980s, and is reviewed every 6-7 years.



And here’s the thing, a study has actually found that the style of teaching was effective in helping children master Mathematics better. No wonder our Singaporean students top the rest of the world in Math.


According to the teachers, the programme was able to boost children’s motivation and engagement, and the evaluation found that it could be used creatively and flexibly.



This is not the first time that Singapore’s way to teaching Math and Science has made it to the news. In fact, Singapore’s education system on the whole has been the ideal for many other countries.


Governments around the world have tried to incorporate elements of the “Singapore model” into their teaching of Math and Science. In fact, according to Andreas Scleicher, head of the OECD’s education assessment programme, at meetings of the world’s education ministers, everyone listens very closely when it is Singapore’s turn to speak.



Surely, there is magic in the way we teach Mathematics and Science to our students in Singapore, that others around the world try to incorporate into their system.


This article first appeared on Five Stars And A Moon. It is reproduced with permission.


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