Message by HOD

Message by HOD (Mathematics)

Mathematics is fundamental to the innovations of today and the solutions of tomorrow. It helps to model and understand the real-world contexts to facilitate decision making and problem solving of real-world problems.

In Serangoon Secondary, we emphasise the importance of learning Mathematics. We aim to provide learning experiences for our students to discover their strengths and interests in Mathematics, equip our students with the necessary knowledge, skills and the capacities to think logically, critically, and analytically to be future-ready learners and contributing citizens. We believe every student has different needs for and inclinations towards Mathematics. We seek to motivate and support our students in strengthening their foundation and levelling up their competencies in Mathematics that will enable them to function effectively in everyday life and to pursue Mathematics in the next stage of education where needed.

The Mathematics Department takes reference from the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) to provide a positive classroom culture to motivate and inspire our students in the learning of Mathematics. Through our Mathematics curriculum, we aim to provide learning experiences for our students to develop their problem-solving competencies in concepts, skills, processes (e.g. reasoning, critical thinking, communication), metacognition, and attitudes.

Our Lower Secondary Mathematics curriculum focuses on helping our students discover their interests and strengths through hands-on tasks, ICT-enabled lessons, interactive games and quizzes to develop conceptual understanding, skills, critical thinking and reasoning processes in the key strands of Mathematics (Numbers and Algebra, Geometry and Statistics). In addition, we also support our students to cope with the transition from Primary to Secondary levels of Mathematics through our bridging programmes. Our annual Mathematics Learning Day is a platform for our lower secondary students to celebrate the joy of learning and application of Mathematics in fun and meaningful ways.

Our Upper Secondary Mathematics curriculum continues to strengthen students’ mastery and confidence in acquiring the problem-solving competencies through learning experiences in tackling routine, non-routine and open-ended tasks. We focus on helping our students make connections of the ideas within Mathematics, between Mathematics and other subjects through applications of Mathematics. Our Mastery Learning Programmes (MLP) helps students consolidate their learning through practice and teachers provide academic support to address students’ learning gaps. We empower our students through self-directed learning and collaborative learning programmes such as Home-Based Learning and Peer Tutoring. For students with the aptitude and interest in Mathematics, we provide opportunities for them to appreciate the abstract nature and power of Mathematics through taking part in Mathematics competitions and taking Mathematics at a more demanding level.

Our team of dedicated Mathematics teachers adopt the 3 principles of teaching: understanding, not just recall of facts; building on students’ knowledge; and relating to the real world to support our students through the 3 phases of learning: readiness, engagement, and mastery to facilitate effective student engagement and instruction. We adopt a range of pedagogies such as Differentiated Instruction, Improving Confidence and Numeracy (ICAN) strategies, e-Pedagogies and Computational Thinking to engage our students with different learning needs and support them in developing their problem-solving competencies in Mathematics. We seek to forge strong partnerships with our students’ parents and our community partners to support our students in their journey to appreciate the joy of learning Mathematics and do their best in Mathematics.

Mdm Koh Poh Ling
HOD (Mathematics)