St. Anne’s Episcopal School has been selected as one of three schools in the United States to serve as a Model School for the newly published Singapore Math textbook, “think!Mathematics.” Upon completion of the program next year, St. Anne’s will become certified as a “Model School” in implementing effective mathematics instruction and will have the ability to hold training sessions on campus supported by international experts in Singapore Math as well as host potential lesson studies for visiting teachers.
Our students are thinking about math differently,” said Valerie White, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. “The changes we have made to our teaching methods through the implementation of Singapore Math have also had a positive impact on our teaching in other subject areas. We know that in order to maximize learning, students need to be able to think flexibly and communicate their reasoning in multiple ways. The excitement and enthusiasm for learning has been palpable.”
St. Anne’s introduced the Singapore Math approach to teaching mathematics in September 2016 in Kindergarten through Second Grade with help in part from a Longwood Foundation grant. This past school year, First Grade Teachers Tara Liguori and Melissa Meier were two of just 12 teachers participating in a project to pilot the “think!Mathematics” textbook and workbook for the U.S. market with Sarah Schaefer and Dr. Yeap Ban Har, two of the foremost Singapore Math thinkers in the world.
“I asked Tara and Melissa to be a part of our study because they have embraced the whole methodology & pedagogy of Singapore Math from the very beginning,” Sarah Schaefer said. “They are excited about what they are doing. They want to get better. Anything that will make them better, or their students better, they will do. They are truly invested in that.”
The introduction of these new Singapore Math materials will occur in First through Fifth Grade over two years. St. Anne’s will also pilot a new Singapore Math text in Kindergarten next year which was co-authored by Sarah Schaefer.
“Singapore Math is about learning a different way of thinking about math,” Melissa Meier said, “It required a big shift.” Tara Liguori added “You have to be flexible in your thinking in order to evolve, and that can be challenging. This is something our school does well, we take a growth mindset.”
Located in Middletown, DE, St. Anne’s Episcopal School (www.stannesde.org) is a Preschool (age 3) through Grade 8 co-ed independent day school that focuses on academic excellence and spiritual growth in a small, family-oriented and diverse community. Founded by visionary educators from St. Andrew’s School in 2002, the school’s academic program prepares students for honors course work in the finest area high schools through its commitment to intellectual, spiritual, physical, social, and artistic growth and character development.
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