Math at the corner

Vietnamese children are often ahead in arithmetic and behind in word problems. That is not a maths problem — it is a reading problem wearing a maths costume. A child who can do the calculation in two seconds still scores zero if they cannot work out what the question is asking.

What we work on

• Model drawing. The bar model that Singapore schools use. Once a child can draw the problem, the arithmetic is the easy part.
• The words in a word problem. Altogether, remaining, twice as many, shared equally. We teach these as vocabulary, because that is what they are.
• Showing working. Marks here are given for the method, not just the answer. Many children lose marks they had already earned.
• Checking. Reading the question again at the end, and asking whether the answer is sensible.

Where children usually get stuck

Fractions, ratio, and anything with more than two steps. We slow down at exactly those points rather than pushing ahead to stay level with the school.