some thoughts

A month has passed since our visit to Singapore, so there has been time to reflect and see what stayed with me. This has been made easier, as people ask me what I learned and what Singapore was like. I would appreciate any contributions you might make, reflecting on my ideas.

So here are a few thoughts:

The Mathematics education plan from the Ministry of Education is quite comprehensive and certainly has been communicated down to the school level. The question of implementation in classrooms varies from class to class and school to school. So what is different?

There is the clear framework of three modes of learning: Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract. This is enunciated and embraced from the top down to the classroom. Teachers understand it and use it in classroom practice.

Textbooks are used to assign work, after direct instruction and small group work have taken place. The teacher is not supposed to teach from the textbook. Lessons can extend over several days, building from day to day. Nightly homework is not a hard and fast rule across all classrooms. It is given thoughtfully, to supplement material already learned. The curriculum spirals from year to year. Inspection of the list of topics in the MOE curriculum list yields a short list of topics to be covered in a year. Problem solving is the stated overarching long term goal, developing creative, thinking and thoughtful students.

There is tracking. This occurs as a result of teacher evaluation and testing. Tracking goes in two directions. First, in order to complete the topics in the syllabus, within a given length of time, some topics are simply eliminated. Second, children advance from year to year and are given support outside the regular classroom, in order to stay on track - in whatever track they are placed. Students can jump to a more advanced track, if they show they can handle the work, so the tracking is not set in stone.

Special Needs children are placed in special school settings. The gifted children (top 1% identified by testing at the end of P3) are invited to receive a 'gifted' education in one of nine special schools. The children deemed needing Special Services are placed in settings where these can be provided. (There are many ADD and ADHD students in mainstream classes throughout the school system.)

Class size is very large, averaging around 40 students, compared to classes in the public schools in New York and perhaps in other states as well. There is a stated obligation on the part of the teachers to know each of their students and to maximize their learning, no matter what it takes, including extended day sessions.

The synthesis of cultures occurs in the educational setting, where English is the official language of the education system. Mathematics education is treated equally with English Language Arts. The third part of the required education, and also of equal importance, is the student's mother tongue. If a student's mother tongue is not Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil, s/he may select to take one of the three or may be exempt.

Prior to entering a teacher education program, the potential teacher spends six months in a school, with some limited remuneration, to make sure the teacher is really exposed to the job and therefore able to make an appropriate career decision, prior to having Singapore invest in the teacher's training.

The teacher education system requires teachers to participate in Professional Development experiences throughout their careers, to the tune of 100 hours per year. This is part of the contract and the culture of being a teacher in Singapore. The teacher is a career-long learner.