TOP 5 IN EACH CATEGORY
Maths
Shanghai
Singapore
Hong Kong
Chinese Taipei
South Korea
Reading
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Singapore
JapanSouth
Korea
Science
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Singapore
Japan
Finland
SOURCE: PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT
When it comes to maths, S'pore students
have a
blast
Singapore teens rank No. 2 in the subject
in a survey of around 510,000 students from 65 countries and
territories. We find out how teachers here are making mathematics
fun
Reports by KOH
HUI THENG
2 times 2 is four, 2 times 3 is six. Most of us of a
certain age 1earnt maths like this - by rote.
No wonder some of us hated the subject.
But today, Singapore teens rank No: 2 in the
subject among 65 countries and territories in the Programme for
International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2012 released yesterday,
and are among the top 5 when it comes to enjoying the subject.
Mrs Cynthia Seto, master teacher in mathematics at
the Academy of Singapore Teachers, and Miss Gayatrl Balakrishnan,
senior curriculum specialist (mathematics) at the Ministry of
Education's curriculum planning and development division, give some
examples of how teachers are making maths fun.
GEOMETRY ON THE COMPUTER
Teachers are using technology to make lessons more
interactive.
For example, rather than being told about the
different geometrical shapes, stUdents can look at them on school
computers.
They learn to identify an isosceles triangle (a
triangle with two equal sides) by pulling and dragging the shapes
and changing the orientation on the computer. When two sides remain
equal despite being manipulated in different ways, that is the
isosceles triangle.
BUS SCHEDULES AND COMMON
MULTIPLES
Previously, teachers asked students to list the common multiples
(numbers into which each number in a given set can be divided with
zero remainder) in class.
Now, real-life examples such as bus timetables are
used to teach it.
Students are told when buses leave the interchange.
They are also told the minimum and maximum frequency for two
service numbers, for instance, five minutes and six minutes
respectively.
They are then asked if the two service numbers
would meet on the route, an indication of the common multiples for
both frequencies. Students can check for other combinations by
changing the frequency timings.
OF DISCOUNTS, GST AND
PERCENTAGES
Students solve problems involving discounts and the goods and
services taX (GST).
For instance, teachers may get students to compare
different deals in advertisement brochures to see which option
gives the best value for money.
The students have to justify the decisions they
make.
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
Students have to explain how they would park cars, given a
limited amount of space.
Should they be placed horizontally, vertically, or
any combination in between?
The students have to discuss and analyse why they
prefer a certain option.
SPREADSHEETS AND SHOE
SIZES
Traditional way: Memorise the formula for the average, mean and
mode.
Now, students look at spreadsheets after they
collect data of, for example, their classmates' shoe sizes.
From the information, they have to look for
patterns that woUld tell them what the most common shoe size
is.
They may also role play by considering what sizes
they would stock up on if they ran a shoe shop.
How we ranked
The report card is out.
And Singapore docked a superstar performance in mathematics at
the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
coordinated.
Pisa tests a 15-year-old student's ability to apply
skills and knowledge in maths, science and reading to real-life
problems.
The tests began in 2000 and are administered every
three years.
Singapore came in second in maths, behind Shanghai
- we were first in the computer-based maths section and second in
the paper-based section.
Our 5,546 students from all 166 public secondary
schools and six private schools performed ahead of 63 other
participating countries and territories.
A Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesman said the
participation of a minimum of 150 schools was needed to meet Pisa
sampling requirements.
"MOE decided to have all 166 of our public
secondary schools take part in the study rather than to exclude a
small number of scnools."
China did not take part as a whole country, but was
represented by high-performing cities such as Shanghai and Hong
Kong.
The second-place mathematics showing is the same as
2009, when Singapore volunteered to take part in Pisa for the first
time.
For Mrs Cynthia Seto, master teacher for
mathematics at the Academy of Singapore Teachers, the results
showed "our students are motivated by the interesting strategies
and real-life examples that teachers use... so they acquire
thinking and problem-solving skills".
What's heartening for educators like her is the
confidence and motivation that students had for maths: 77 per cent
sald they looked forward to the lessons - compared to the 36 per
cent average.
Seven in 10 of Singapore students also said they do
maths because they enjoy it, while less than 4 in 10 of their
global peers felt the same way. Singapore ranked fourth overall in
student's confidence in the subject.
Our students also improved in reading and science,
coming in third for both tests. In 2009, Singapore students were
ranked fifth in reading and fourth in science.
Our students are adept at applying
knowledge and skills in solving real-life
problems
Mathematics
Name of Task: Sauce
Apply ratio concept in daily life
situation
You are making your own dressing for a salad.
Here is a recipe for 100 millilitres (mL) of dressing.
Salad oil: 60 mL
Vinegar: 30 mL
Soy sauce: 10 mL
How many millilitres (mL) of salad oil do you need to make 150
mL of this dressing?
Answer: .............. mL
CAN YOU
SOLVE THIS? An example of a maths question in the test.
I made probability "work in my
favour
COMMENT
KOH HUI THENG
HATE Mathematics? No, not at
all.
But I bear little. love
for the subject.
Yes, I'm a maths dunce. Though I passed the O
levels.and A levels, my failures during common tests, preliminaries
and final examinations were often spectacular. Think No. 1 in
reverse order.
Long-suffering teachers tried, unsuccessfully, to
make algebra and algorithms entertaining.
Alas, relations wlth my favourite teacher, Mrs Ng,
broke down when I notched up 8 out of 100 in Additiona1 Maths in
Secondary 3. ·
It was an all-time low in the school's history, she
bellowed at me. How can a student from the top class turn in such a
travesty?
Meek as a lamb, I promised to repent.
CATCH NO BALL
"Send me for tuition," I pleaded with my dad.
Remedial classes, cram school and private tuition -
I had them all.
But as my eyes glazed over the numbers on a page, I
was forced to admit to my equally, hopeless classmate: "When it
comes to Maths I catch no ball."
Every June holiday, 1 trudged to and from extra
lessons while classmates travelled abroad and lived it up.
Where natural affinity failed, hour after hour of
drills managed to knock some semblance of knowledge into me.
I knew all the formulas by heart, Pythagoras'
theorem and more.
But it was the people, like Mrs Ng, who made me
look forward lo lessons.
She never knew, but each time I stared at her in
rapt attention, eyes agog, I was keeping count of how often her
spectacles slid down her formidable hooked nose.
Hand on heart, I loved her for letting me win the
bets that unsuspecting classmates placed.
They never found out about the intelligence work I
undertook before betting on how many times she pushed up her
glasses.
From Mrs Ng, I realised the value of hard work and
research.
I learnt how to make probability work in my
favour.
Confidence followed as the loose change piled up.
It didn't matter that I was making big bucks from a loose screw
(somewhere in her spectacle frame).
Salvation came at the A levels. Against all odds, I
managed a distinction and turned my back an anything numerical.
"No more maths, ever. Woo hoo!" I told myself
then.
Until this report came along, that is.
News, The New Paper, Wednesday, December 4 2013, Pg 2-3