What is the Singapore math method?
This term is not the official name of any education style. It was coined in the United States to describe a mathematics teaching approach that was originally developed in Singapore to teach students to learn and master fewer mathematical concepts at greater detail.
It began in the 1980s when Singapore Ministry of Education developed its own mathematics textbooks that focused on problem solving and developing thinking skills.
Some of the first to adopt these textbooks in the United States were homeschooling parents. However, these textbooks became more popular in the US and other countries since the release of scores from international education surveys such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which showed Singapore at the top three of the worlds since 1995. U.S. editions of these textbooks have since been adopted by a large number of school districts as well as charter and private schools. Many have adapted the curriculums to include both the Singapore math method and common core requirements in the US, such as this one: (link to my book on amazon?)
The Singapore math method helps the student learn mathematical concepts using a three-stage learning process: Enactive, Iconic, and Symbolic or as others call them: concrete, pictorial, and abstract.
For a detailed description of the origin of the three stages please read this article:
Here is a simple breakdown of all three as per this article on cognitive psychology:
Enactive – Sometimes called the ‘concrete’ stage, involves interactions with the physical world and objects — how they fit together or come apart, how they can be grouped, etc.
Iconic – The iconic or pictorial stage is when learning occurs by looking at pictures or models.
Symbolic – The symbolic or abstract stage is where learning can take place in abstract terms.
Please watch this video, it’s only about a minute or so. It helps understand how these three stages work as a whole: