Just wondering for primary school maths, are they allowed to use
algebra now for their problem sums or must they still use the bar
model chart?
From what I heard at a talk, algebra has always been allowed in
most Pri schools, but is strongly discouraged from being used. The
reason why this is so is because Pri school students often use it
without any idea of the concept behind it.
Just in case you are interested, students will not lose marks
for using algebra in PSLE. In fact, as long as they are able to
explain what is 'x' and 'y', and why they have to be put along with
certain other numbers, teachers usually will not ( and should not
)deduct any marks in their schoolwork. That is if the teachers did
not state that the students must use a certain method
beforehand.