MATH PARENT BLOG - MATH IS FUN!

The Juneau School Board has adopted Math In Focus - Singapore Math Program (Spring 2012).  The Singapore Math Program has made Singapore a top-performing nation on international comparison studies for the past 15 years.  Problem solving is at the core of this program.  Math In Focus is solidly aligned with the higher Common Core Standards and emphasizes:

▪    Curriculum must be focused and coherent.

▪    Teach to Mastery.  

▪    Focus on Number, Geometry, and Measurement in the elementary grades. 

▪    Organize content by big ideas, such as place value. 

▪    Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 

▪    Reason abstractly and quantitatively.  

▪    Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.  

▪    Model with Mathematics. 

▪    Use appropriate tools strategically.  

▪    Attend to precision. 

▪    Look for and make use of structure.  

▪    Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.  

Students have Math In Focus books and workbooks, as well as other supporting resources.  Our classroom teachers will be engaged in a three-year intensive staff development program taught by Math In Focus instructional specialists who have worked in hundreds of classrooms.  Teachers will learn the Math In Focus pedagogy with emphasis on students demonstrating mastery of the skills being taught.  They will also observe demonstration lessons.   Teachers are constructing and implementing Math In Focus lessons. They will be coached and supported by our instructional coaches and professional developers steeped in the Singapore Math methodology and receive timely feedback.  Teachers will have the supports needed to better meet the needs of the diverse variety of learners found in each classroom utilizing the many resources available.