As Shakuntala Devi said “Without mathematics, there’s nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.” Shakuntala Devi is an Indian writer and mental calculator, popularly known as the “human computer”.
Mathematics are all about numbers, structures, space, and change. Though just hearing these, makes one (including me) go nutsy, but not for the Math lovers. And whether we accept it or not, Mathematics seems to really exist in everything we do such as engineering and architecture, art, sports, even in cooking and baking. And of course money, not to mention our precious mobile devices.
So, is it really possible that Mathematics is an easy subject? It is time to consider the S.A.M‘s Approach to Mathematics.
The key is teaching kids how to appreciate math by showing them the right fundamentals which they can apply both in a classroom setting or when they are solving math problems on their own.
Let’s hear it from S.A.M., and see how they started in Singapore.The people behind S.A.M are educators from the National Institute of Education in Singapore, led by Samuel Chia and Lau Chin Loong and a support team of Marshall Cavendish consultants. S.A.M or Seriously Addictive Mathematics is an international Singapore Math enrichment program with over 100 centers in 16 countries around the world including USA, Australia, and Canada.
According to the TIMSS (Trends in International Maths & Science Study) survey, Singapore Math has been recognized as one of the most successful national programs in the world since 1995. The S.A.M program follows the Singapore Math Curriculum set out by the Ministry of Education and can either be a stand-alone or supplementary math program suitable for children aged 4-12 years old. What makes the SAM approach different from the other Singapore math programs in the Philippines is that it is the only international Singapore Math program from Singapore. Here in the Philippines, it was Enrich Asia which introduced S.A.M. to Filipino families. Enrich Asia is composed of professionals who actively scour the global education arena for new innovative approaches to engaging children and inspiring them to learn.
The Holistic Math Approach of S.A.M.
The S.A.M Approach to Mathematics combines the benefits of personalized coaching, which happens in the classroom in the company of other children with self-learning and self-discovery, which happens when work is taken home. The S.A.M Approach is designed to introduce new concepts in incremental yet sure steps to make learning easier. During class, the trainers of S.A.M. introduce and explain the concepts and the lesson objective. The child then reinforces and applies this knowledge on his own at home through daily worksheets planned and prepared by SAM. Corrections or clarifications, if any, are done during the session the following week.
The Values Instilled by S.A.M.
The advantage of S.A.M. is that it instills discipline, responsibility and independent learning within your child. These values are not just useful in his math subjects but could prove to be helpful as a child tackles his other school subjects.
S.A.M.’s Approach to Math
More than just rote learning, drill and practice, SAM aims to develop math skills going into the 21st century. These skills revolve around heuristics, logical reasoning, metacognitive understanding, modeling techniques and situational word problems. Rather than focusing on rote learning, quick fixes and maverick methods, the S.A.M program builds on kids’ foundation in Mathematics so that they can learn self-reliant in their later years in school.
The once a week teachings provided by S.A.M. is a well-thought of a process that guides yet steers a child towards learning math independently yet effectively. S.A.M. programs start children with an assessment, so they start at a comfortable point. Here, both their strengths and weaknesses are identified so the mentors will know which to polish or focus on. There are also no memorizations involved in teaching kids how to answer math problems, ensuring that understanding is the essence of every learning objective.
And because what they learn are the concepts, the greater benefit is that the skills taught through S.A.M. stay with a person well into adulthood, where math ceases to be just a subject, and already a way of life.
S.A.M is all about Holistic Approach to Learning Mathematics. They changed the misconception to Math as labyrinthine.
Visit http://seriouslyaddictivemaths.com.sg for more details.
Karina is not your ordinary supermom. She juggles her time bonding with her three amazing kids while being in the loop on the latest happenings in the tech and lifestyle scene. Follow me on Instagram (@digitalfilipina) regularly visit www.digitalfilipina.com for daily dose of updates not just for moms but for everyone!
