The Singapore approach to mathematics is distinctive and has become well-known because of Singapore students’
success. Developed in the 1980s from reviews of mathematics research around the world, and refined several times
since, the Singapore national mathematics curriculum is based on the assumption that the role of the mathematics
teacher is to instil “maths sense”. In a Singapore classroom, the focus is not on one right answer; rather the goal is to
help students understand how to solve a mathematics problem. The Singapore “Model Method” also makes extensive
use of visual aids and visualisation to help students understand mathematics. The concrete-pictorial-abstract model
used is based on an understanding of how children learn mathematics rather than on language considerations. Teachers
cover far less material than in many other countries, but cover it in depth: the goal is to master mathematics concepts
(Hong et al., 2009).