Although the model method, introduced in
1983, is well accepted today by most
primary school teachers, many average pu
pils and educated parents still find
drawing block models difficult, especially when it comes to solving the word
problems in arithmetic (Kho, 1987). In
this article, some difficulties commonly
encountered in drawing models, in particular, the following, are discussed:
•
Difficulty of an "accurate diagram";
•
Divisions in a block diagram;
•
Inappropriate use of the model method.
The model method gained popularity in Singapore, because it empowers pupils to
solve mathematics problems that were traditionally set only at higher levels (Fong,
1994, 1999a, 1999b; Ng & Lim, 2001). The routine problems that many parents
used to solve during their secondary school days, have now become the non-routine
problems that their children and grandchildren are solving in their primary school
years.