1. Slides are available at
www.banhar.blogspot.com
Singapore Math
Implementing
Common Core State
Standards
Dr. Yeap Ban Har
Marshall Cavendish Institute
Singapore
yeapbanhar@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/MCISingapore

2. Improving Low Student Achievement

3. “Upon separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore
was faced with … high levels of unemployment and
poverty. 70% of Singapore’s households lived in badly
overcrowded conditions, and a third of its people
squatted in slums on the city fringes. Unemployment
averaged 14%, GDP per capita was less than $2,700,
and half of the population was illiterate. “

4. Score
1960-1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
500’s
Japan
Hong Kong
Japan
Korea
Hong Kong
Japan
Korea
Singapore
Hong Kong
Japan
Korea
Singapore
400’s
Thailand
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Malaysia
Thailand
Malaysia
Thailand
Indonesia
Philippines
Indonesia
Philippines
300’s
| Hanusek, Jamison, Jamison & Woessmann 2008

5. Country
GDP per capita in
current USD
2012
Singapore
60,800
Malaysia
16,800
Thailand
9,500
Indonesia
4,900
Philippines
4,400
Source | IMF

6. | Hanusek, Jamison, Jamison & Woessmann 2008

7. Country
% of Low
Performers
% of High
Performers
Mean
Singapore
8.3
40.0
573
Vietnam
14.2
13.3
511
Thailand
49.7
2.6
427
Malaysia
51.8
1.3
421
Indonesia
75.7
0.3
375
OECD
23.1
12.6
494
| PISA 2012

8. Country
% of Low
Performers
% of High
Performers
Mean
Shanghai
3.8
55.4
613
Singapore
8.3
40.0
573
Hong Kong
8.5
33.7
561
South Korea
9.1
30.9
554
Japan
11.1
23.7
536
Finland
12.3
15.3
519
OECD
23.1
12.6
494
| PISA 2012

9. What is Essential in Mathematics Literacy
Let’s look at what international assessment (PISA) for 15-year-olds and
Smarter Balanced Assessment for Hawaii State test suggest.

10. Source | PISA2012

11. Source | PISA2012

12. | Smarter Balanced Assessment

13. | Smarter Balanced Assessment

14. | Smarter Balanced Assessment

15. | Smarter Balanced Assessment

16. | Smarter Balanced Assessment

17. What is Essential in Mathematics Literacy
What should students be learning in mathematics and what are the
implications for classroom practices?

18. What is Essential in Mathematics Literacy
What should students be learning in mathematics and what are the
implications for classroom practices?
communication
metacognition
number sense
visualization
patterns

19. What is Basics?
The state standards (in this case Common Core State Standards)
outline what the basics are. In the next three examples, the
standards suggest that (Kindergarten) knowing that 12 is 10 and 2 is
basic, (Grade 5) being able to add and subtract mixed numbers with
different denominators is basic and (High School Algebra) being able
to solve simple equations is basic.

20. | Common Core State Standards

23. | Common Core State Standards

26. What Does Teaching for Relational /
Conceptual Understand Look Like?

28. Teaching for Meaning Making
Concrete Materials
Students are given
bags of 6 beans
each
Anchor Task
How many beans in
4 such bags?
Students Talking
Multiple Responses
Count all
Repeated addition
Multiplication
Board Writing
Student Journal
Meaning Making
4 x 6 is the same as 4 bags of
6 beans. Also linking new
materials (multiplication) to old
materials (addition).

29. Teaching for Meaning Making
How do I know if I
have taught in a
meaningful way?
• Link to previous
knowledge
• Link to a
concrete
scenario
• Students can
extend their
thinking.

30. Teaching for Meaning Making

31. Teaching for Meaning Making
Use of Textbooks
Suggest the kind of
anticipated
responses (add
another six, double,
associative
property and
subtraction
strategy)
As a reflection tool
for students at the
end of the
discussion (“Let’s see
how they do it.”)

32. Teaching Through Problem Solving
Assessing
Differentiating
Remediation
Enrichment
Acceleration

33. Teaching Through Problem Solving

34. What’s My Anchor Task?
Anticipated Responses
Differentiating
Remediation
Enrichment
Acceleration

35. Teaching Through Problem Solving

36. Variation in Examples