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Source:
www.moe.gov.sg |
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Introduction of Calculators
in Primary 5 - 6 Mathematics |
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In line with the phasing in of the revised
Primary School Mathematics syllabuses, the Ministry of Education (MOE)
will introduce the use of calculators at Primary 5 in 2008 and Primary 6
in 2009. |
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To align assessment with the curriculum, the
use of calculators will be allowed in part of the Primary School Leaving
Examination (PSLE) Mathematics and Foundation Mathematics examinations
from 2009. |
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These examinations will be revised from the
current single paper to a two-paper format from 2009. Calculators will
only be allowed in Paper 2 of the examinations, which will contain
questions for which a calculator can be used. |
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Use of Calculators in the Curriculum |
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The introduction of calculators at Primary 5
and Primary 6 aims to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics
at the primary level in two ways. |
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First, calculators facilitate the use of
more exploratory approaches in learning mathematical concepts, some of
which may require repeated computations, or computations with large
numbers or decimals. With a calculator, pupils can perform these tasks
and better focus on discovering patterns and making generalisations
without worrying about computational accuracy. |
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Second, the use of calculators also enables
teachers to use resources from everyday life, such as supermarket
advertisements, to set real-life problems with real-life numbers that
may be difficult for pupils to work with without a calculator. Pupils
would hence be better able to see the connection between mathematics and
the world around them. |
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To equip teachers with the knowledge and
skills in integrating calculators into the primary mathematics
curriculum, workshops have been conducted since 2006. By the end of
2007, all Primary 5 and Primary 6 teachers would have been trained. The
new Primary 5 and Primary 6 textbooks, and the teaching and learning
resources provided to schools, will also reflect the use of calculators
in the syllabus. |
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Basic numeracy skills, including mental
computation and estimation, are important life skills to be developed
early. These skills will continue to be taught and will remain relevant
even as computers and calculators become more accessible. Even with the
introduction of calculators in the Primary 5 and Primary 6 mathematics
curriculum, pupils will still continue to learn, practise and be
assessed on computational skills without the use of a calculator. |
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Revised PSLE Format |
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With the introduction of calculators, there
is a need for the PSLE Mathematics and Foundation Mathematics
examination formats to be structured into two papers from 2009. |
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Paper 1 does not allow the use of a
calculator so that important computational skills will continue to
be emphasized and be assessed. |
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Paper 2 allows pupils the use of
calculators to solve problems. Pupils will take both papers on the
same day. There will be a break of one hour between the two
papers. |
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The calculator is a tool to help
pupils with their computations. There will be no change in the
question types, the number of questions for each type, or the
level of difficulty of the questions. |
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Only calculators that are approved by
the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) will be
allowed for use in the examinations. The list of approved
calculators is available on the SEAB website. These calculators
can also be used at the secondary level and for the GCE N-Level
and O-Level examinations. Pupils will only be required to use a
basic set of calculator keys at the primary level. |
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Background |
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As part of MOE's effort to
continuously improve the teaching and learning of mathematics at
the primary level, a review of the mathematics syllabus,
pedagogies and assessment was carried out and completed in 2004. |
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The new syllabuses are being phased in
at Primary 1 to 4 in 2007, Primary 5 in 2008, and Primary 6 in
2009. The use of calculators in the teaching and learning of
mathematics at Primary 5 and Primary 6 was one of the
recommendations made by the review committee, which comprised
academics and practitioners. |
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Source:
www.moe.gov.sg Press Release
27 Apr 2007 |
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FrontPage Edition: Tue 8 May 2007
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