HSIEN NAIDU Founder Enrich Asia Pte Ltd.

Math is not an easy subject to love, but it is not impossible. This is what Seriously Addictive Math (SAM), a mathematics program which originates from Singapore, is trying to teach kids 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.

HSIEN NAIDU, a franchising, marketing and branding expert from Singapore, would like to bring this new way of learning math to the Filipino children.

SAM

SAM is a math tutorial program specially tailored and designed for children from 3 to 12 years old. It is an international Singapore Math enrichment program, which is aimed at enhancing children’s thinking abilities.

The famous Singaporean way of teaching math believes that nurturing should begin at an early age of 3 or when children are able to communicate.

Since SAM’s establishment in 2010, it has won several awards, as well as successfully expanded to over 100 centers in 16 countries around the world, including USA, Australia, and Canada.

The people behind SAM are educators from the National Institute of Education in Singapore, led by Samuel Chia and Lau Chin Loong.

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 SAM 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.

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 introduced by Enrich Asia, a group of professionals founded by Hsien who actively scour the global education arena for new innovative approaches to engaging children and inspiring them to learn.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

The SAM 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 approach is designed to introduce new concepts in incremental yet sure steps to make learning easier. During class, the trainers 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.

Hsien explained that the advantage of SAM 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.

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 SAM program builds on kids’ foundation in mathematics so that they can learn selfreliantly in their later years in school.

The once a week teaching provided by SAM is a well-thought of process that guides yet steers a child towards learning math independently yet effectively.

SAM 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 SAM stays with a person well into adulthood, where math ceases to be just a subject, and already a way of life.

BEST FIT The current education shift to K-to-12 in the Philippines shows that the government is keen to improve the education standards and thus makes it favorable for international programs like SAM to enter the market.

“I saw the raw potential of the Philippine market and the huge demand for good quality education. Being a mother myself, I understand how important education is for the children, and I would like to give Philippines children the same opportunity as well,” says Hsien, who graduated from University of Auckland with a master’s degree in economics and marketing.

Already, there are a total of 16 SAM centers in the country and a few more in the pipeline. All the centers are franchised, and the franchisees and trainers are personally selected and trained by Hsien’s Singaporean Franchise Director to ensure that the quality of the teachers are up to international standards.

The first branch was opened in San Juan. Succeeding centers were opened in Marikina, Enderun College at Bonifacio Global City and West Avenue, QC. SAM’s learning facilities can also be found in Angeles City , Pampanga; Binangonan, Rizal; Tanauan, Lipa and Rosario in Batangas; Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.

With a growing number of parents wanting to enroll their kids in SAM, four more centers are set to open soon: White Plains, Lower Bicutan, Imus in Cavite and Zamboanga.

With its background and experience in franchise consulting, Hsien is confident that every center provides the best quality it has to offer.

According to Hsien, more and more Filipino parents have started appreciating Singapore Math for the positive effect it has had on their children.

Being a franchise consultant herself, Hsien has been exposed to many different educational programs but found SAM to be the best fit for the Philippines market.

“From my observation, a common similarity in the education systems of Philippines and Singapore is the focus on the skill of problem solving. In some of the international schools in the Philippines, this skill is particularly focused upon by delivering the lesson using a Concrete Pictorial Abstract approach which I found to be appealing,” she adds.

In SAM, this approach is also used but in smaller classrooms with a smaller ratio and individualized teaching to ensure that every child receives the attention they need.

“Students in SAM even give testimonials reflecting overwhelming enthusiasm for its program they could not seem to put worksheets down until they finish the questions,” says Hsien.

Hence, this is why Hsien finds SAM to have a unique way of delivery. The program not only offers a conducive environment for students, the methodology used is also special and useful for learning Mathematics.

Hsien said that like every other school offering Singapore Math programs, the goal of every educator is to give the best program to their students.

“Through tight collaboration and communication with our franchisees around the globe, exchanges of feedbacks about our shared experiences with children from all walks of life allows SAM to better meet the needs of children. Regardless of where children are located, all SAM schools are localized and cater to the needs of the local children, allowing them to get the best education,” adds Hsien.

In addition, Hsien noted that SAM’s emphasis on independent learning will greatly aid the young generation of students who have been exposed to advancing technology.

“Unlike the conventional ‘spoonfeeding’ learning culture, our trainers are trained to encourage independent learning with the goal of enhancing their critical and analytical skills. We hope that the children we nurture through our programs are able to learn valuable skills that are applicable to all aspects of their lives,” says Hsien.

The challenge of advancing technology is one thing that has been in mind with the SAM approach.

“Given that SAM focuses on independent learning, critical and analytical skills, we believe that our students will have minimal problems coping with the rapid advances of technology,” says Hsien.

The SAM education develops children and their thinking abilities such that they are able to deduce answers on their own and come out with out-of-the-box solutions for conventional real-world problems. The skills students learn from SAM programs helps them to navigate through life critically and independently.

CHALLENGES The biggest challenge would be the misconception most parents in the Philippines have about the idea of Singapore Math and the way how learning should be done. Before the entry of SAM to the Philippine market, Hsien found out that there are other centers and schools offering ‘Singapore Math’ but not in the Singapore way.

According to Hsien, the techniques used in these schools differ greatly from how Math in Singapore is being taught, and thus parents in the Philippines might be misled in the conception of ‘Singapore Math’.

Trainers may face difficulties in relearning new teaching methods when they have been teaching the same way for years.

Additionally, Hsien realized that parents in the Philippines are also not exposed to the right way of teaching mathematics.

“They are simply focused on getting their children to score very high marks in examinations without considering the effectiveness of the learning modes and structures,” says Hsien.

To bridge this, Hsien insisted on dispatching the Singapore team over to conduct orientations for parents and train the franchisees to understand the right techniques for teaching Singapore Math.

“I hope that, with increased awareness, students in the Philippines are able to get more out of their learning, which would benefit them greatly in the long run. Right now, majority of the students here are able to score high marks by repeatedly tackling questions in the same conventional framework, but fail to do so if the structure of questions were changed. They lack the ability to analyze and solve problems which requires critical thinking,” says Hsien.

“I hope to create awareness in the Philippines and help the students understand the process and meaning behind solving equations and be a thinking learner. This is something I hope to change and achieve in the Philippines.”

With the orientation session, Hsein observed that parents tend to be astounded and see Singapore Math in a new light as kids could easily solve math problems in a shorter time frame as compared to using the traditional methods.

Hsien is currently planning to hold different educational seminars to help parents assist their child in learning Mathematics.

Other than conducting the orientations for the parents, the company also holds promotions such as the 2-week free trial for students to experience SAM way of learning. The children will undergo a series of diagnostic tests to understand and pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses in different Math subjects and attend lessons for 2 weeks. So far, the response has been overwhelming as most students loved the program and are enrolled in SAM now.

Hsien cannot promise that kids will be able to learn math effectively and the principles behind it, saying the SAM program requires team effort and healthy participation from parents, trainers, and children.

In this case, she said, communication is the key. Parents, Hsein said, must resist spoon-feeding their children and must communicate the difficulties faced by their children to the trainers, who would then understand what the child is lacking in order to make proper adjustments.

Although it is the job of trainers to provide a fun learning environment, the child should also possess an earnest attitude in wanting to learn.

“Given that both parents and their children are committed to the program, and follows our teaching philosophies, we are confident that children would be able to improve in math and inculcate the principles behind it,” she adds.

ADVOCACY

No doubt, SAM Singapore is a business. But while it is a business, it has a big advocacy component. It’s actually a bit of both.

“When I first embarked on SAM, it was a business, but it gradually became an advocacy by sharing the strengths of independent learning, problem solving and critical thinking in children. For all the brands I advocate, like The Unique English Classroom and SMET, they all encompass the 21st Century learning skills which I believe is good for the children’s future and necessary for tomorrow’s world,” says Hsien.

For her Enrich Asia team, Hsien always insisted on the philosophy that the brand and business must always be done in a way that prioritizes the benefits for the children.

A bookworm, Hsien admitted that she ventured into the Education business because she believes it is very meaningful.

“I believe it is important to give back to the community and this is one of the ways to do that. To me, education is the backbone of a nation and I want to be part of the driving force that brings about good changes to this country,” says Hsien.

“Also, I have a young daughter who has benefitted a lot from good education and enrichment like SAM in Singapore. I want to ensure that every child in the Philippines has the same access and opportunity like her,” she adds.

Having a business with a strong advocacy makes Hsien optimistic for its future.

Globally, SAM is already dominating with its extensive market share around the world although still considered young in the Philippines market right now. In fact, the growing market of Singapore Math pushes SAM’s expansion in the Philippines.

“We are confident that SAM will continue to grow, particularly with the strong support of our franchisees who share the same goals and passion as us,” says Hsien.

She has set a long-term vision for the next 15 years where she sees SAM becoming a household brand for good quality authentic Singapore Math education for children.

“I know that with passion and the burning desire to educate, our franchisees and us will be able to achieve great things together,” she adds.

Her mantra is that, “As long as someone is willing to learn, we must be willing to teach. I never believe in turning my back on anyone who has the will to learn.”

With more and more people believing in how SAM works, Hsien believes the negative stigma of math will shift on a more positive note and will equip the children better as they go through life’s various challenges.