Latin School of Chicago

was used at other schools where she previously taught. "Some of the terminology is new to me, but learning it has been the most interesting and rewarding part of the process," she said. "I love it when the students start modeling my language." One unexpected consequence? "My math facts are so much quicker after having taught this way," she said. Although the program is very different from how they learned, Latin parents have been supportive of the program. In the spring of last year, parents visited the SK classrooms for a "math morning" where the students taught them math games. "Once parents understand it, they think it makes sense," said Danz. Erikson educators also conducted several parent meetings to get parents acquainted with the program. "The best feedback from parents is when they see that their kids can explain their thinking," said Brooks. "Parents love that." Patrick Huett, Latin's lower school math interventionist, has a unique vantage point of the program since he sees students who need extra help. "What's cool about Singapore Math is that all methods of solving are respected and every student gets to be proficient," he said, referring again to the "low floor high ceiling" notion. Huett admits that Singapore Math has changed his perception that the standard algorithm is the best way to solve a problem. "Too often we get stuck in the rote way we have learned to solve a math problem. That rote way may not necessarily be the best way." Huett stated that feedback from Latin teachers has been universally positive, despite the fact that this method takes more teacher preparation as well as specialized training. "It's a paradigm shift. It took a little bit of time for us to digest it. Now we are hitting our stride." Preparing for Middle School and Beyond The current fifth graders (who started Singapore Math in second grade) are continuing with it in middle school. Teachers of the current sixth, seventh and eighth graders (those who did not receive any formal Singapore Math instruction) are incorporating certain aspects of it into their lessons, including using anchor tasks, pictorial tools such as the bar models, and taking a skill to mastery. Eve Bonneau, sixth grade math teacher and chair of the middle school math department, is confident that Singapore Math is preparing Latin students for middle and high school. Singapore Math is centered on problem solving. Students are not passive learners just repeating what the teacher told them. They have a better understanding of what a concept is and why it works," she said. She also noted that the visualization piece can help in other areas such as improved reading comprehension. "Singapore Math prepares students for the rigors of middle school, high school and beyond because it teaches them that there are many pathways to a solution, and being able to articulate their thought processes is a skill that will serve them well for years to come." Measurement M A N Y D I F F E R E N T AT T R I B U T E S C A N B E M E A S U R E D A N D A L L M E A S U R E M E N T I N V O LV E S A " FA I R " C O M PA R I S O N T H E A B I L I T Y T O U N D E R S TA N D T H E Q U A N T I T Y O F A S E T R E L AT I O N S H I P S B E T W E E N O B J E C T S C A N B E R E P R E S E N T E D W I T H P R E C I S I O N C A N B E C O M B I N E D / S E PA R AT E D, D E F I N E D A C C O R D I N G T O AT T R I B U T E S Data analysis Spatial relationships Shape LATIN MAGAZINE » WINTER 2019 27 27

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