Singapore math is a curriculum designed to provide students with a solid understanding of math.
Starting from 1A , students who complete the curriculum can expect to have developed a solid understanding of all of high school math. It should be noted that this is done more quickly, as in 10 years as opposed to the American 12, leaving two years for the pursuit of advanced topics in mathematics including calculus and statistics.
It’s a foundational curriculum.
Being a foundational curriculum, this also means it focuses strongly on high school topics, but it does it thoroughly.
The topics are organized in such a way that the student can efficiently learn them and approach mastery.
Topics are reinforced across each book.
In this manner, any topics that have holes are swiftly patched up.
Some topics are tough, but after a few sessions, the material becomes easy again, allowing students to get a break from the harder topics re-approaching the subject which students struggle with the most.
No “drill-and-kill”
Many parents fear that the “drill-and-kill” approach will reduce their student’s capacity to think creatively. For myself, this was not the case. Singapore math includes little by the way of shortcuts and encourages students to find more efficient approaches to the many problems included in the workbook. That being said, no problem is left without an approach in the Singapore curriculum.
Rigorous word problems
Singapore curriculum is also famous for its problem sets, especially the word problems, which requires abstraction of mathematical principles. The exploration of cognitive learning aside, it teaches students to think rather than how to think.
The Singapore curriculum is an efficient and productive curriculum, and lives up to much of its praise in the educational community. I say that as a product of using it. All the details including approach, scheduling and order are already worked out carefully. If your student is pragmatic, or is looking for a strong foundation in math, then I would highly recommend the curriculum.
