Mathematics Instructional Practices in Singapore Secondary Schools

Berinderjeet Kaur is a Professor of Mathematics Education at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. She holds a PhD in Mathematics Education from Monash University in Australia. She has been with the Institute for the last 30 years and is one of the leading figures of Mathematics Education in Singapore. In 2010, she became the first full professor of Mathematics Education in Singapore. She has been involved in numerous international studies of Mathematics Education and was the Mathematics Consultant to TIMSS 2011. She was also a core member of the MEG (Mathematics Expert Group) for PISA 2015. She is passionate about the development of mathematics teachers and in turn the learning of mathematics by children in schools. Her accolades at the national level include the public administration medal in 2006 by the President of Singapore, the long public service with distinction medal in 2016 by the President of Singapore and in 2015, in celebration of 50 years of Singapore’s nation building, recognition as an outstanding educator by the Sikh Community in Singapore for contributions towards nation building. Yew Hoong Leong began his career in the field of mathematics education as a mathematics teacher and has since developed a keen interest in the issues related to quality mathematics teaching in the classroom. Surrounding this focus, his research interest ranges widely, including topics such as the complexity of classroom practice, mathematics problem solving, task design, and more recently, the professional development of mathematics teachers. He has contributed extensively to international publications in all of these areas over the last 20 years.

Chapter 1. Overview of Singapore School Mathematics: Policy, System, and Curriculum.- Part I: Global Features of Practice.- Chapter 2. A Study of the Enacted Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum in Singapore Schools.- Chapter 3. The Instructional Core that Drives the Enactment of the Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum in Singapore.- Part II: Enactment of the Intended Curriculum.- Chapter 4. Teaching Practices that Promote Mastery in Mathematics Learning in the Singapore Classrooms.- Chapter 5. Teaching Practices that Promote Mastery in Mathematics Learning in the Singapore Classrooms.- Chapter 6. Good Mathematics Lessons from Students’ Lens: A Singapore Perspective.- Chapter 7. Facilitation of Students’ Metacognition: Snapshots from Singapore Mathematics Classrooms.- Chapter 8. Learning Opportunities in Classroom Instruction to Promote Conceptual Understanding.- Chapter 9. Balance Between Building Visual Imagery and Mathematical Rigour:  Case Study of an Experienced andCompetent Mathematics Teacher in Singapore.- Chapter 10. Meaningful Math Talk that Supports Mathematics Learning: A Look at Three Classrooms of Competent and Experienced Teachers in Singapore Secondary Schools.- Part III: Tasks and Tools.- Chapter 11. Experienced and Competent Singapore Mathematics Teachers Selection and Modification of Materials for Instructional Practice.- Chapter 12. Use of Challenging Items in Instructional Materials.- Chapter 13. Use of Technology by Experienced and Competent Singapore Mathematics Teachers.- Chapter 14. Sequencing of Practice Examples for Mathematical Reasoning: A Case of a Singapore Teacher’s Practice.- Chapter 15. Designing Instructional Materials to Help Students Make Connections: A Case of a Singapore Teacher’s Practice.- Chapter 16. Looking at the portrait of mathematics instructional practices in Singapore from an Asian perspective.- Chapter 17. Looking Ahead: Implications, challenges, and new areas of research.