In Singapore, Mathematics is essentially a compulsory subject since a student attend primary school. (In fact, most learners have picked up some maths skills when they are in nursery schools）
In our bid to be world class in Math and Science, the Singapore Mathematics syllabi and curricula are set at relatively high standards, as compared to other OECD countries.
This has led to the inevitable result of most local Maths pupils receiving some form of private home tuition help. A rough gauge shows that 7 out of 10 students in primary schools have a personal home Maths tutor who conducts extra lessons and tuition help for the young learners.
Primary Maths
So why is primary school Maths so difficult in Singapore? The reason is that Maths for primary pupils is designed largely using the Model Method, which requires much thinking and processing of academic questions.
This is done, so that, as students progress to secondary schools, the learning of Algebra, which is the foundation of Pre-U and tertiary Maths, is easier learnt.
Given that it is compulsory, and the need to secure a good score i the eventual PSLE assessment in Primary 6, most parents go for some form of private home maths tuition for primary level in Singapore.
Secondary Maths
As said, the topic of Algebra is the foundation of intermediate and further topics in upper secondary Maths.
With Algebra, it becomes easier to conquer topics such as Simultaneous Equations, Inequalities, Matrices, etc.
For Additional Maths students, they can easily go on to master Calculus, and the twin challenge of Differentiation and Integration.
Read more on sec school maths tutors and tuition lessons here
Junior College Maths
With the complete learning of Calculus, JC Maths pupils can go on to understand and apply the concept of Differential Equations, 3-Dimensional Vectors, etc. The strong algebraic expressions and manipulation in secondary school math training will make the mastery of Binomial Theorem, Maclaurin’s Series and the Theory of Mathematical Induction seamless and easy.
Finally, the foundation of secondary handling of data, bar graphs, pie charts will lead to the thorough learning of Statistics, Probability, Mathematical Permutations & Combinations, Statistical Sampling and Regression a pleasant experiential journey, rather than a shock.
And again, a lot of JC students have to go for H1 Maths and H2 Maths tutoring help in S’pore. More on the JC Maths tuition here.
For JC pupils who are striving for Uni scholarships, do go to H3 Maths tuition.
Further Mathematics
For the highly mathematical inclined A-Level JC Maths students, they also have the option to take up an additional math subject – Further Mathematics, or ‘F’ Maths, for short.
This is a tough subject, though interesting and fun. Much alike a Math Olympiad subject, F Maths brings existing topics into a much more advanced level.
For eg, the basic trigonometry concepts of “sin x”, “cos x” and “tan x”, etc, extends into the hyperbolic functions of “sinh x”, “cosh x” and “tanh x”. Also Complex Numbers becomes even more complex, as one explore De Moivre’s Theorem and the Argand Diagram in full details.
Furthermore, new Mathematical topics such as Group Theory, Matrix Algebra with applications to eigenvectors and eigenvalues, etc are introduced.
As a note, Group Theory is the same theory that explain how the Rubik’s Cube is designed, as well as the theoretical explanation of the famous algorithm of the Google Search Engine.
More info on our ‘F’ Maths tutors here.
Maths Olympiad
Beginning from primary school, Maths pupils who have a big interest in Mathematics, arithmetic and numbers are selectively invited into the school’s Maths Olympiad programme.
Though it does not contribute directly into one’s overall grades in PSLE, the rigorous training in it ensures that the learner will easily excel in the basic Maths subject, and even in the Maths component in the GEP (Gifted Education Programme) Selection Test!
Choose a Maths Olympiad home tutor here.
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