Playtimes HK Magazine Winter Issue 2018/2019 | Page 55

education
A
s I sit helping my seven-year-
old with his maths homework,
I‘m struck by the thought
that maths (even third grade
maths) seems to have changed a
lot. The questions might be pretty
simple, and providing the answer’s
not a problem, but when it comes to
explaining how to work it out I find
myself stumbling. Please tell me I’m
not the only one who struggles with
primary school maths! I’m guessing it’s
only going to get harder, too.
It’s all about strategies. Doubling
up, split, number lines... Certainly at
my son's school, ‘carrying over’ or
‘borrowing’ is not the main strategy.
So, what do you do if your child
needs maths support? Don’t feel bad
about calling in the experts to help.
Tutoring, be it private or at a maths
centre, is a common solution.
But maths centres are not all the
same; much like us they have different
strengths. They also focus on different
strategies. What are the options
available and which one will help your
child? Check out our round up of
what’s on offer.
The Three Main Programmes
• Seriously Addictive
Mathemathics (S.A.M)
The S.A.M programme is designed
around the Singapore maths
curriculum, which is one of the most
successful maths programmes in
the world – according to the Trends
in International Maths & Science
Study (TIMMS) survey. S.A.M
offers over 30,000 pages of ‘step
up’ worksheets and lessons are
conducted by a team of qualified
trainers. This makes S.A.M one
of the most comprehensive
programmes for Singapore maths,
and it was even awarded The Best
Mathematics Programme by Parents
World magazine.
Advocates of this method believe
that if students continue to study
at their own pace, they will catch
up with their school level and soon
advance far beyond it.
• Seriously Addictive Mathematics
(S.A.M)
S.A.M is a maths learning
programme from Singapore, with
a unique curriculum designed for
students from four to 12 years old.
S.A.M has developed over 30,000
pages of self-learning worksheets,
covering everything your child needs
to know in order to excel in maths at
school. The Classroom Experience,
conducted by Certified S.A.M
trainers, engages students with
dialogue, questions, props, games
and encouragement. The idea is to
make learning fun and memorable
through interactive experiences.
During this engagement time, the
trainer also takes the opportunity to
assess how the student is coping
with work, rate of progress and
level of motivation. Qualified S.A.M
trainers understand that their role
is not just to instil mathematical
knowledge in students, but to also
inculcate the right learning attitude
and self-discipline in them, in
preparation for their future. S.A.M
trains children to develop an attitude
of self-discovery and learning at a
young age. A habit of self-learning
and discovery transcends beyond
maths – it will greatly benefit their
learning of other subjects as well.
http://seriouslyaddictivemaths.hk • E.nopi (Eye Level Learning)
Eye Level maths combines basic
thinking and critical thinking maths
and encourages students to master
maths concepts. This system, like
Kumon and MPM, is based on an
educational principle where students
learn at their own pace. The Eye
Level system believes that when a
teacher understands the learning
needs of a student, then teaching
becomes effective. Eye Level maths
focuses on helping children improve
their problem-solving skills by using
a “small-step” approach.
• The Kumon Method
The Kumon method is an
individualised learning method. The
starting point for students depends
on their ability to achieve a perfect
score through individual study. • Eye Level
Eye Level provides fun maths tuition
for children as young as pre-
school age, where a collection of
comprehensive learning materials
designed to introduce mathematical
• Kumon
The Kumon Method puts emphasis
on “Individualised Instruction” and
insists on providing tailor-made
study plans and progress to each
child in order to nurture their
self-learning ability and unleash
their maximum potential. Kumon’s
objective for students learning maths
is to self-study once they reach
secondary school level. This starts
at Kindergarten level with number
counting, four mixed operations at
primary school level, to factorisation
at junior secondary school level and
calculus at senior secondary school
level. www.kumon.edu.hk
Winter 2018
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