trying to decide on a math program for my spec. ed. students. how does singapore math work? does anyone here use it? i have also thought about saxon math. which is better, especially for kids who need a lot of hands on stuff?
trying to decide on a math program for my spec. ed. students. how does singapore math work? does anyone here use it? i have also thought about saxon math. which is better, especially for kids who need a lot of hands on stuff?
We are homeschooling using Singapore Math. Singapore offers a much better balance between concept development and computation than Saxon. Saxon has been criticized for focusing too much on the “how” of math and the mechanics of computation, neglecting concept development in the early years. Singapore is a primarily visual approach to math, which is easily supplemented with found manipulatives.
Having said that, there is no single math program which is suitable for all children, much less all sped children. Some children actually need the repetition and spiral approach of Saxon. As far as I know, however, Saxon is not a “hands on” math approach. It is primarily abstract, using pencil and paper to work problems.
One advantage of Singapore is that it offers the problems in workbook format. This is very helpful to children who have problems writing, as they do not need to do a lot of copy work.
Mary