Math in Focus™: The Singapore ApproachSingapore Math Research & Hot Topics

Math in Focus and the Common Core Standards Draft Alignment Guide
The following is a guide identifying the critical chapters of Math in Focus—the U.S. Edition of Singapore’s most widely-used program, My Pals are Here! Maths—and their alignment to the March 9, 2010 public draft of the Common Core Standards for Mathematics. The grade level standards overviews from the public draft are cited along with the key chapters from Math in Focus that correspond to these topics and concepts.

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Singapore Math: Place Value in Math in Focus
The U.S. edition of Singapore's math curriculum, Math in Focus™: The Singapore Approach, stresses mastery, coherence, and focus. Students master foundational math skills early and carry those skills with them as they progress through the grades. With each new concept learned, students build on what they have already learned. This systematic approach to mathematics is particularly evident in the program's approach to teaching place value.

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The Underpinning Concept
Math in Focus: The Singapore Approach is adapted from Singapore's My Pals Are Here! Maths. The underpinning philosophy of both series is the same, and their aims and objectives are to ensure children's ability to achieve mastery of mathematics concepts, computational skills, problem solving skills and application of mathematics to daily life activities. Math in Focus has also adopted both the Eastern and Western approaches to critical and creative thinking, thus preparing students to face challenges ahead of them.

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Research Base
The principles underlying Math in Focus™: The Singapore Approach are drawn from a solid base of foundational research that has identified effective approaches to mathematics teaching. The Research Base document cites the extensive literature on the Singapore Math pedagogy and learning as it relates to the key features and philosophy of Math in Focus.

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Singapore Math: A Visual Approach to Word Problems
Since the early 1980s, a distinguishing characteristic of the math taught in Singapore is the use of "model drawing". Model drawing, often called "bar modeling" in the U.S., is a systematic method of representing word problems and number relationships that is explicitly taught beginning in second grade and extending all the way to secondary algebra.

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History of the Development of Singapore Math Textbooks
From 1965 to 1979, many of the primary and secondary textbooks (and all mathematics textbooks) used in Singapore had been imported from other nations. But starting in 1980, Singapore began to take a new approach. The Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) was set up to develop primary and secondary textbooks for the New Education System. This initiative produced new developments in learning that propelled Singapore's math students to the top of the international community.

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Problem Solving in Singapore Math
Ever since Singapore scored first in both 4th and 8th grades in the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) comparison assessments in 1995, 1999, and 2003, and in the top three in 2007, math educators have been interested in the secret of Singapore's success. Many factors have been catalogued—a coherent national curriculum, teacher training, and a public belief in the importance of math to the national economy—but without fail, all descriptions emphasize the importance of problem solving in the Singapore Math curriculum. Problem Solving in Singapore Math considers how problem solving is taught in Singapore and why it has proven to be so successful.

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Math in Focus and Response to Intervention
The core Math in Focus K–5 program provides differentiated opportunities to fit

Response to Intervention (RTI) for mathematics. RTI for mathematics suggests a three-tiered approach to differentiation and intervention. The goal is to reach students whose needs are not being met by the core curriculum without needlessly separating or isolating them from their peers. Math in Focus aligns with these recommendations.

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