Seriously Addictive Mathematics (S.A.M) Announces Opening of First Enrichment Center in Chicago
Chicago, 01 November 2021 – Seriously Addictive Mathematics (S.A.M), the largest Singapore Math enrichment program in the world for children aged four to 12, opens its first enrichment center in Chicago, USA. Differentiated by its emphasis on developing mastery of the subject through interest and understanding, over memorisation and drilling to chase grades, S.A.M has since helped more than 20,000 students worldwide in 20 countries. Located at 1156 West Armitage Ave, Lincoln Park, the center operates on Monday to Friday from 2pm to 7pm. S.A.M is also present in three other states – California, Georgia and Texas.
The S.A.M Thinking Math Program
The Lincoln Park center will offer the S.A.M award-winning pedagogy and curriculum which is based on Singapore Math - a global top-ranking curriculum according to international surveys TIMSS and PISA - with a focus on problem solving and developing intellectual competence such as critical thinking and logical reasoning skills in children. The curriculum is further complemented with S.A.M ’s two-pillared approach of Classroom Engagement and Worksheet Reinforcement, with an individual learning plan tailored to each child at their own skill level and pace, because no two children learn alike.
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Classroom Engagement: Emphasizing understanding before procedures, the Concrete-Pictorial- Abstract (CPA) approach is used to introduce new math concepts in an engaging and meaningful way. In addition, the Coaching approach is used to help children explore, discover and build confidence towards math. This is done in an intentionally small class setting of 5-6 children per trainer, where each child works on their own prescribed learning tasks.
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Worksheet Reinforcement: Created by a team of former Singapore school teachers and textbook publishers, 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, problem-solving and thinking skills, self- discipline and good study habits.
Singapore Math refers to the primary math curriculum and teaching strategies used in Singapore schools. In the early 1980s, Singapore faced the problem of low numeracy and basic math skills among school children. The Singapore Ministry of Education set up a team to improve the quality of teaching and learning of math. The team studied learning theories from development and education experts including Jerome Bruner, Richard Skemp, Jean Piaget and Zoltan Dienes. They created teaching materials incorporating the learning theories and revised the curriculum to focus on problem solving. Since 1995, Singapore students have consistently ranked among the top three in international surveys such as TIMSS and PISA. Educators in many countries took notice and eventually adopted Singapore Math materials in schools, including the United States, Australia, Britain, Chile, Indonesia, Netherlands, Philippines and South Africa.
The Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach is a highly effective three-stage approach that helps children develop deep understanding of math concepts. It is one of the key teaching strategies used in Singapore Math and is based on the theories of instruction proposed by American psychologist Jerome Bruner. The first stage “concrete” is the “doing” stage where children use physical or concrete objects to learn math. The second stage “ pictorial ” is the “seeing” stage where children use drawings and pictures to learn math . The final stage “abstract” is the “symbolic” stage where children use abstract symbols to learn math.
Lau Chin Loong, Co-Founder and Curriculum Director, S.A.M said, “ To be competent and thrive i n today’s increasingly interconnected and fast changing world, children require firstly, a breadth of skills rooted in academic excellence such as numeracy, and secondly, capabilities to view matters with an open perspective in order to address global developments and collaborate productively across cultural differences. S.A.M’s focus on thinking math and the coaching approach encourages a spirit of exploration that develops both the academic and non-routine analytic and problem-solving skills in children from young, to prepare them for the career challenges for tomorrow.”