Singapore Math

The other day I shared an article from PBS.ORG on Facebook entitled "Instill a Love of Math" by Laura Lewis Brown.  The article details the importance of instilling a love of math early, to "make math 'real' and meaningful by pointing it out in the world around you" (Brown, n.d.).  Parents are also urged to encourage children to work hard at math  by practicing their math skills but also to have fun with math by playing games which involve math.  Perhaps the most important suggestion, and one I echo as a math fanatic, is that parents should always "avoid talking negatively about math, even if [they] have no need for Trigonometry in [their] daily life" (Brown, n.d.).  Speaking negatively about math can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy which could potentially hinder student learning in the future. 

The article I shared brought about a question from a parent (and friend) of two students in one of my first Math and Science enrichment classes years ago.  I thought I would share the question (and my response) here as a part of the Monday Math series.

Question (names, except mine, and locations are changed/omitted):
Thea, I enjoyed reading the article about math that you posted on Facebook. I was wondering if you have recommendations about math enrichment programs (workbooks, computer programs, etc.). Our new state's real estate is a lot more expensive than our old one was. We do not have expendable income to invest in tutoring, and our son could benefit from extra help. A tutoring company was helping him a lot with his non-verbal learning disability in our old city. Our daughter could also use a little enrichment. I don't want to go nuts and overwhelm them. There is no homework here at all, so a few minutes of math activities in the evening would be OK. Our son needs a math curriculum that reinforces what he is supposed to be getting at school. Repetition, "tricks," and learning strategies help him a lot. To be honest, I don't know what our daughter needs. The gifted math class in our old city was great. It challenged her problem solving skills within skills expected for her grade level. They're doing some great stuff in her new school too, but not so much in math. I want her to continue to be challenged and love math. Any suggestions? Thanks.

My response is first, to have a look at marcycookmath.com as I discussed previously here.  Secondly, I'd like to recommend having a look at the Singapore Math curriculum for its flexibility, affordability, and ease of use.

Let me begin with some background...

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS highlights in Table 2 the average math scores of fourth grade students.  Table 3 highlights the average math scores of eighth grade students.

Please also have a look at this NY Times Article as well.

Start by visiting Singapore Math.  I recommend reading through the site at your convenience.  Then, administer the placement test for both children.  From there, you will be able to determine which of the books to order.  Currently, our son is in second grade and we are using the Singapore US Edition Primary Math Book 2B for his enrichment at home.  I have also used the Math Sprints series as well as the Challenging Word Problems series for my own children as well as tutoring and enrichment students.  

I hope you will find this information helpful, please let me know if you have any more questions!

Brown, L.L. (n.d.) Instill a Love of Math.  Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/math/math-tips-for-parents/instill-a-love-of-math/