Blog posts where we share some of our recent experience teaching in the classroom.
Happy Snowy Halloween! Here in Boston, we just had our first snow of the year yesterday. It feels like Mother Nature is reminding us about the upcoming winter. We would like to take the chance to share some thoughts about “Connections” today. A math lesson should not be questions after questions. It is important …
Like most American teachers, we have stopped all physical classes since the COVID-19 crisis shut our schools down. However, thanks to modern technology, we have been teaching all our group classes online for the past two weeks. So far feedback from teachers, students and parents have been positive, and we were able to continue our …
3 Surprises We Learned About Teaching Online Group Classes Read More »
On Aug 30, 2018, there was an article from The Economist, titled “What other countries can learn from Singapore’s schools“. Since it says “copying allowed”, we have copied the article here for your reference. WHEN the island of Singapore became an independent country in 1965, it had few friends and even fewer natural resources. How …
One of the questions we get most often is “What is Singapore math?” and the follow-up question “How is it different from [curriculum]?”. Here is our own definition, interpreted from the point of view of two Singaporeans who grew up in Singapore, went through the public education system learning math using the same concrete-pictorial-abstract techniques, …
Is Singapore math not working for your school? Have your school district switched to using Singapore math curriculum a few years ago, promising better mathematics instructions and deeper conceptual understanding, only to find that not only has test scores not improved, but more teachers are feeling frustrated about adopting the new methods they are not …
It is hard to imagine we are only a few more weeks to Labor Day! We are still here in Singapore but soon back in Boston to get ready for the new academic year! We have been fortunate to be here during Singapore’s National Day this year, when the country celebrates 52 years of independence. …
Celebrating Singapore’s National Day with some Math! Read More »
Summer is busy and Summer is also the perfect time for professional development! Here are some professional development Kar Hwee facilitated for the past 2 weeks. Math support for struggling learners (Middle and High School) – Columbia University, Teachers College (June 21, 2017) Focusing on ELL (English Language Learners) and SIE (Secondary Inclusive Education) support. …
Professional Development in New York City and Orlando, Florida Read More »
This week, I had a great time working with the students and teachers at St Brendan’s School in Boston. Equivalent Fraction can be tricky, and we had a lesson study on how to incorporate the Concrete- Pictorial- Abstract approach in the lesson. Apart from the C-P-A approach, we also focused on journaling at the end …
Should you assigned drill questions as homework? When is a good time to assign homework? Today, we discuss the contentious topic of what to focus on when introducing a new math topic to students. Conceptual Understanding or Procedural Fluency? There has long been two opposing philosophy of education when it comes to introducing new topics …
Have you heard of the term “Teachers’ Common Room”? Growing up in Singapore, we vaguely remember the term “Common Room” being used to describe the teachers’ office in school. This is a usually a big room, without partitions. Each teacher is assigned a desk and we as students were not allowed into the room without permission (as kids, …
