Students focusing too much on scoring – associate professor

TAWAU: Many students are focusing too much on scoring and getting the correct answers without knowing what they are actually solving, hence they fail to understand the true meaning of Mathematics.

Dr Willey Liew, an associate professor who graduated from University of Cambridge, cited this when speaking at Seriously Addictive Mathematics (S.A.M) Parent Workshop in conjunction with the opening of First Singapore Maths Enrichment Centre in Tawau recently.

Liew said that being able to apply Mathematics to solve problems was absolutely paramount for students who wish to further develop their career as programmers and engineers.

Also present were the CEO of Anchorage Learning Centre, Cheong Vai Yan and its Academic Director, Dora Pang.

“Singapore Math refers to the primary math curriculum and teaching strategies used in Singapore schools. The S.A.M Thinking Math Program involves classroom engagement and worksheet reinforcement.

“The Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach is used to introduce new math concepts in an engaging and meaningful way. It is a highly effective three-stage approach that helps children develop deep understanding of math concepts. In addition, the coaching approach is used to help children explore, discover and build confidence towards math.

“S.A.M worksheets’ tasks are comprehensive, varied and incrementally advanced, so that learning is kept challenging yet achievable, to keep children motivated.

Through guided and independent practice, children develop mastery in math, problemsolving and thinking skills, selfdiscipline and good study habits,” explained Liew, who is also the advisor of S.A.M Tawau.

Meanwhile, the managing director of S.A.M Headquarters in Malaysia, C.K. Gan also elaborated on the S.A.M award-winning pedagogy and curriculum which is based on Singapore Math with a focus on problem solving and developing intellectual competence such as critical thinking and logical reasoning skills in children.

The new opening of S.A.M Tawau is located in Pusat Komercial Unijaya, Jalan Sg Tajong. It operates on Mondays to Thursdays from 12:30pm to 9pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 6pm.

For more information, please visit www.sam.edu.my, or on Facebook: S.A.M Tawau. Email: sts@sam.edu.my or Call 0138653622.

Established in 2010, Seriously Addictive Mathematics (S.A.M) is the world’s largest Singapore Math enrichment program for children aged four to 12.

S.A.M has more than 160 centres in 16 countries worldwide – Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, the USA, Zimbabwe - nurturing more than 3,000 students in Singapore, and 15,000 students worldwide since, and expanding.

S.A.M has won awards from international business associations and parenting resources - these include the Singapore Promising SME 500 Awards, Thailand Department of Business Development Franchise Quality Awards, Malaysia BabyTalk MamaPapa Readers’ Choice Awards, and India Kids Stop Press Awards. still

Liew (first from right), Gan (second from right), Cheong (first from left) and Dora (second from left) at the new S.A.M centre in Tawau.

A parent workshop on “The best ways to teach Mathematics”, conducted by Gan while trial classes were conducted for the children in classes.