Singapore 's Bar Model for Solving Math Problems : Reducing to pictures abstract thought may not be a good thing

by Ganesh Sahathevan

SBS Dateline recently aired a story on Singapore's education system. It was reported by Janice Petersen,who made some reference to Singapore's modelling method for teaching maths.

The method is illustrated in this Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEAoJUYELtk


Readers may want to consider that in resorting to boxes and pictures simple abstract thought has been set aside (Hint:Attempt the problem in the usual way, without pictures).


It may well be that the Bar Model is suited to students who are being schooled in Chinese or Mandarin, where the mastery of thousands of ideograms is required.

In contrast, the English language requires memorisation of only 26 letters, but application of very many concepts. Formulation of concepts requires thinking, imagination, innovation.
END

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