This presentation was made to K-12 teachers at the school district at Smithville, Missouri. It focuses on what research and theories say about mathematics teaching and learning that can result in high achievement and positive attitude and consistent with learning for the 21st century economy and society.
4. Low Achievement, Desperate Economy
“Upon separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore
was faced with … high levels of unemployment
and poverty. Seventy percent of Singapore’s
households
lived
in
badly
overcrowded
conditions, and a third of its people squatted in
slums on the city fringes. Unemployment averaged
14%, GDP per capita was less than $2,700, and half
of the population was illiterate.”
8. Country
% of Low
Performers
% of High
Performers
Mean
Shanghai
3.8
55.4
613
Singapore
8.3
40.0
573
Hong Kong
8.5
33.7
561
South Korea
9.1
30.9
554
Japan
11.1
23.7
536
Finland
12.3
15.3
519
OECD
23.1
12.6
494
| PISA 2012
| MacPherson Primary School, Singapore
9. Country
% of Low
Performers
% of High
Performers
Mean
Singapore
8.3
40.0
573
Vietnam
14.2
13.3
511
Thailand
49.7
2.6
427
Malaysia
51.8
1.3
421
Indonesia
75.7
0.3
375
OECD
23.1
12.6
494
| PISA 2012
| Bina Bangsa School, Indonesia
23. National Test Item
Mr Lee baked 185 more chicken pies than tuna pies. After selling 3/5 of
the chicken pies and half of the tuna pies, he had 146 pies left.
How many pies did he sell?
25. National Test Item
A fruit stall sold pears at 70 cents each and apples at 40 cents each.
Sally bought some pears and Tom bought some apples from the fruit stall.
Sally spent $1.10 more than Tom, but had 7 fruits fewer than Tom.
(a) How many pears did Sally buy?
(b) How much did Tom spend on the apples?