JUST a quick poll: Would you prefer the statement “The child is good in math” or “The child loves math.” When I was growing up, being good in math seemed an inborn trait. Conversely, if a student had difficulty in math, it seemed this weakness was set for life.
I still remember when I was in Grade 1, I was guided at home to get a brown cardboard to write the multiplication table from one to 10. Then I was taught to memorize it in Fukien. The sing-song melody made it more relaxing, but I still found it difficult when it reached “6” onwards. I also remember dreading word problems. I would rather memorize the form than analyze the problems. I was good in math if you look at my grades, but I cannot say I loved math.
In the summer of my second grade, I heard the school was going to offer advanced math classes for free. I quickly signed up. That year, I felt math was a breeze because the advanced knowledge gave me confidence. The concepts were not new, so I felt comfortable with the drills. I was also able to apply these concepts to word problems with less fear. Unfortunately, because enrolment for this advanced math program was low, the school did not repeat it in the following years.
When I became a parent, I hoped for my kids to have a “relaxed” and enjoyable journey with math. I did not want them to develop an aversion by forcing them to do drills. When I taught numbers, I used dots first, not numeric symbols. For my firstborn, I did not see it necessary to enroll her to any enrichment classes. But in a traditional school environment, this is not necessarily an advisable route to take. I have shared my daughter’s difficult experience in past articles. In a nutshell, in first grade basic math skills and drills were already expected. My daughter not being prepared resulted in quite a stressful experience for Meagan. The teacher asked me if I was sending her to Kumon or enrichment classes, as most parents did. I was lucky that a mom referred me to a Sakamoto center. I was even luckier to have found a loving and patient math enrichment teacher, Mrs. Yao, for Meagan. Did Meagan “like” going to enrichment classes? To be honest, it was difficult to convince her. But I knew math was a fundamental skill and I was aware that I was “late” in introducing the skill. And so I served as that constant disciplinarian/cheerleader for her to go. Today, at Grade 8, she is the MTAP representative of her school. More than that, she truly loves math.
For my son, I knew better. I knew math should be introduced early. I was lucky the Montessori school he went to was also a Kumon Center. Although the drills weren’t always the most fun to do, I was lucky that the teachers and Marcus’ nanny were great morale boosters for him. He started enrichment at 3.5 years old. The choice for Kumon was rooted in proximity and the teachers. His math school journey was quite relaxed. Later on, Marcus progressed to more problem-solving enrichment classes. I realize today that enrichment is preparation. Enrichment, when chosen correctly, can be playful and memorable for our kids. The key is finding the age- and skill-appropriate program and a great teacher. I am lucky my kids have been with their math enrichment teacher for more than five years now. He spends time to know their interests from Pokémon characters to their favorite Lego collector series.
Today, there are so many programs to choose from. One of the programs that was recently introduced to me is the SAM program. This is the world’s largest Singapore math enrichment program with over 190 centers in 18 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and now the Philippines.
The program does not promote mastery by repetition and drills. Instead, they train mastery by developing skills, such as critical thinking, heuristics, logical reasoning, metacognition, modeling techniques and situational word problems. They place huge emphasis on nonroutine word problems that require comprehension and thinking to answer. In addition, they incorporate games, toys and visualization techniques in teaching. As a result, students who used to dislike math have become quite attuned to mathematics.
They designed a comprehensive SAM training system to ensure that certified trainers deliver a quality learning experience for your child. Research has shown that early exposure to math concepts and skills will enhance your child’s confidence in math in later years. SAM’s holistic approach to mathematics combines classroom learning and worksheets practice to give each child an early advantage in math.
In 2016, Enrich Asia Philippines Management Inc. brought in the program and opened their first franchise center in the Philippines. In a few years, they have grown to over 50 franchise centers nationwide. Meagan had a trial SAM class last October. Teacher Michelle Enriquez, the owner of the center, administered an assessment and discussed areas of improvement.
For more inquiries, you can contact Gail Perez at 0917-5826867 for the SAM center nearest you.