for a in depth look at what is wrong with american math please look at this site
www.illinoisloop.org/mathprograms.html
Kumon Math
Kumon is a very popular math program that combines at-home daily worksheets with weekly visits to a Kumon center
parents are highly involved and much of the work is done at home
it uses a series of graded math worksheets that students work through independently
the student is tested at the start of their program and begins at a level that is easy for them
no calculators are used in the program
one of the great advantages of Kumon is that it allows students to progress at their own pace
many students complain that the worksheets are boring, often students are required to repeat worksheets as many as 6 or 8 times
Kumon only focuses on the key skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in the early stages
there is almost no emphasis on mixed practice, or on maintaining skills that were mastered at one time
it can also be very expensive for parents as much as $100 a month
Singapore Math
the students in Singapore consistently top the world in math achievement
in the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Singapore ranked number 1 followed by South Korea and Hong Kong
even low achievers in Singapore outperform the international average
so in that sense Singapore has best math program
Singapore emphasizes thinking
Singapore Math avoids reliance on memorized formulas and algorithms so there is not as much emphasis on repetitive practice exercises
SM strives to give students an understanding of math concepts by walking students through each component of a problem
and then presenting them with the whole problem to solve
students are trained to think actively as they work through each step of a problem instead of plugging the problem into a formula
SM has a strong emphasis on problem solving and model drawing
Singapore Math is a mastery program, meaning students are taught a concept once and once only
each level builds upon preceding levels, and assumes that what was taught need not be taught again
when the same topic is revisited next year, it is discussed at a higher level
Singapore Math uses a distinctive concrete-pictorial-abstract approach
for example, introduction of abstract decimal fractions is preceded by their pictorial model of centimeters and millimeters on a metric ruler
but even earlier addition and subtraction of decimals is studied in the concrete form of dollars and cents
systematic use of word problems are a big part of the program and are started in kindergarten
students learn when to add and when to subtract relying on the meaning of the situation
formulations are free of any redundancies, and challenge student’s understanding of mathematics
this is different from U.S. curricula, where word problems are to show “applications” of math and are spiced with immaterial details
the need for repetitive drill is minimized by clever sequencing of the topics
other difference is the use of bar-models in teaching problem solving (a form of pre-algebra)
this consists simply in representing (mentally or graphically) arithmetical quantities by line segments
such line segments are regularly used to show and teach one’s thinking process in solving an arithmetical problem
the segments are typeset as colorful “bars” of a fixed width (hence bar-models)
in the early grades SM uses a lot of manipulatives and hands on math
so it’s great for most learning styles
note in singapore children do drills and math facts in a separate class
so you will need to supplement these
another possible problem with SM is it’s probably very different from how you learned math
this may make it difficult to teach
(i have not found it that hard)
Miquon Math
Miquon Math Materials lead children through an exploration of mathematical relationships
concrete models are not supplements to the written work but instead are the basis of it and are used continuously
Miquon Math introduces all four arithmetic operations and work with fractions in the first year
by the third year, students are graphing algebraic equations
the program encourages creative thinking
it uses manipulatives for all the problem so it’s a great option for kids who can’t sit still
and who doesn’t love playing with blocks?
it’s very cheap and can also be used as a supplemental program
the program only goes to third grade though
and it also requires more time from the teacher than the conventional curricula
to use this program you need Cuisenaire rods as well as the teachers guide
Saxon Math
is a math program developed by former Air Force officer and high-school math instructor John Saxon
Saxon Math is very popular with the home school world, and is also used in some public and private schools
tests show that the use of Saxon Math increases algebra enrollment by up to 400 percent
and that Saxon Math students radically outperform students using other math programs
Saxon Math is distinctly American and is arguably the best american program available
Saxon emphasizes practice
after concepts are introduced, Saxon moves immediately into practice exercises to help cement the concept in the student’s mind
Saxon requires students to memorize formulas, achieve fluent recall of math facts and apply algorithms to solve problems
the detailed explanations of each lesson enable a far greater degree of independent work
Saxon Math is a program built on spiral review
concepts are presented to the student one part at a time, across several lessons
they retain what they’ve learned through constant repetition throughout the year
new material presented and practiced in each lesson
many parents say that the spiral review method has made all the difference for their students
and a number of other programs adopted the method after Saxon Math’s success became obvious
Saxon kindergarten math curriculum is extremely easy to use because the lesson is entirely scripted
almost no teacher prep time needed
and has a lot of manipulative exercises (does not use manipulatives in later levels)
some problems with saxon are that it can be a bit of a drill and kill
some kids find the program to be boring
it’s also expensive
