Developing an In-House Singapore Math "Go-To" Expert
Professional training is absolutely critical to the success of yourSingapore Math implementation. Here are the tools needed to transform an in-house resource into a Singapore Math subject matter expert who can coach and mentor colleagues and pick up where your outside trainer/consultant leaves off.
What Elementary Math Coaches Do..
Assist math teachers in finding new teaching methods, tools and techniques to improve math instruction.
Conduct research and student assessments.
Conduct study groups and take professional development courses.
Test students to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Test interpretation helps you find out what math areas need particular attention.
Provide support and flak interference
Meet with administrators and discuss what you've discovered through research and assessments.
Make suggestions about evaluation modifications or help develop the curricula for math classes at the school.
Make recommendations about continuing education courses or math conferences you thinkcould help teachers.
What Elementary Math Content Coaches do: Focus on Mathematics Instruction Improvement
Content coaches work at both the classroom level and the school level.
Help teachers transfer what they learn about new practices to their classrooms.
Help establish a safe environment in which teachers can strive to improve their practice without fear of negative criticism or evaluation.
o Work with teachers to plan and implement lessons.
o Work with teachers to hone specific strategies.
o Develop/find materials and other curriculum resources.
o Work with new teachers on new-teacher issues.
o Encourage teachers to talk about their practice with them and with one another.
o Observe classes and provide written and oral feedback after observations.
o Model effective instructional practices.
o Plan and implement professional development sessions, often in collaboration with principals and/or lead teachers.
o Advise and conduct book purchases and inventories.
o Help teachers develop classroom-based strategies for assessing student learning and learn to use formative assessments to inform instruction.
o Meet with principals to review progress and plan future work.
Superior content and mathematical instruction knowledge.
Diplomatic and able to work effectively with colleagues.
Comfortable modeling lessons.
Interested in developing deep knowledge of curriculum from beginning to end.
Where should a Singapore math content coach begin?
With a plan! You can’t coach teachers until you’ve observed them.
o Discuss with the teacher what the focus of an observation session should be. Focus on one element but aim for at least 10% change/year.
o Observe and keep descriptive notes. Sample observation form ↴
o Debrief – A Coach is NOT an evaluator.
What did you see?
What went well?
Go slow to go fast – building trust and expertise takes time.
Put the teacher in the observer’s seat.
-Steven Leinwand
1. What’s working? 2. What’s not working?
3. How best can these issues be addressed?
…never stray from a dogged focus on classroom instruction. When all is said and done, it’s not the buses, the buildings, or the budgets
that determine how much and how well students learn, it’s the daily interactions between teachers and students, and among student, in the classrooms of every school that determines how well students will learn.
Related Citations
Developing an In-House Singapore Math "Go-To" Staff Development for Educators (SDE)
Cassandra Turner
Baldridge, S. and Parker, T. (2004). Elementary mathematics for teachers. Okemos,MI: Sefton-Ash
Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible Mathematics: Ten Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Leinwand, S. (2012). Sensible mathematics: A guide for school leaders in the era of Common Core State Standards. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Ma, L. (2010). Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics: Teachers’ understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States. New York: Routledge.
McKenzie, D and Walker, L. (2011). The Singapore Math coach’s guide: A tool for informed observation & support. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.
Morse, A. (2009). Cultivating a math coaching practice: A guide for k-8 math educators.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. (2008). The PRIME leadership
framework:Principles and indocators for mathematics education leaders. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
Schmoker, M. (2006). Results now: How we can achieve unprecedented improvements in teaching and learning. Alexandria: ASCD
Smith, M. and Stein, M. (2011) Five practices for orchestrating productive mathematics discussions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Willingham, D. (2009). Why don’t students like school: A cognitive scientists answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Wu, H. (2009). What’s sophisticated about elementary mathematics? American Educator. Fall
