Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent
PARENTS need to encourage their children to appreciate math and the sciences to prepare them for a competitive world. These
two subjects are the cornerstones of progress and development in the
current and future environment, an executive of a children’s learning
institution said.
“Parents
must be proactive in addressing if they think their children have a
learning gap in math and science before it’s too late,” said Galileo
Enrichment Learning Program Chief Executive Officer Rowena Juan Matti in
a recent interview with the BusinessMirror .
“Instead of the traditional method of tutoring, parents should enroll their children at a young age in any established learning enrichment center around
the country. It would be an advantage for the children if they will
start young in learning the rudiments of math and science. This move
will eliminate if not minimize their aversion to numbers and scientific
concepts,” she said.
At
the moment, Matti said Galileo is promoting Singapore Math, a method
developed by Singaporean educators to enable children to enjoy learning
math.
According
to Matti, Singapore Math simplifies the teaching of math to children by
translating math concepts into models so they can visualize the
operations. For instance, numbers are represented by boxes and brackets,
and the positions of these boxes determine which operation to use.
“This
method eliminates the memorizing of dozens of formulas and it breaks
each problem down to its simplest form and use the basic operations to
solve it,” said Matti.
Before the 1980s, Singapore used imported
math textbooks. In 1980 the Singaporean government implemented a new
approach in mathematics instruction by developing local materials. Led
by the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS), the
city-state produced primary and secondary textbooks. Its Ministry of
Education, the centralized education authority in the country, crafted
new objectives for math education, emphasizing a focus on problem
solving and heuristic-model drawing.
The CDIS led in integrating these goals into the textbooks. In
1982 the government unveiled the first Singapore math program, and
Primary Mathematics 1-6 was published. In 1992 a second edition was made
available. The second edition revisions included an even stronger focus
on problem solving and using model drawing as a strategy to problem
solving.
The Singapore math program yielded positive results. PARENTS need to encourage their children to appreciate math and the sciences to prepare them for a competitive world. These
two subjects are the cornerstones of progress and development in the
current and future environment, an executive of a children’s learning
institution said.
Recognizing
the impact of Singapore Math, Matti said Galileo has included Singapore
Math in its math program and offers it all-year round in various
Galileo centers.
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