Can Programs like Swun Math Help Kids Better Understand Common Core?

There has been a lot of discussion recently about the state of American education especially when it comes to math. The United States consistently ranks the lowest amongst other developed countries in the world when it comes to math competency. The United States does not even rank in the top ten in global testing standards and schools around the country have been working diligently to implement programs to help students and teachers to bring up these test scores. One solution to fix the math problem in the United States is the Common Core math program. Common Core has been met with some resistance from parents and there has been a lot negative attention drawn to the program but Common Core is designed to help fix the learning gap when it comes to math. The issue is not that the program doesn’t work; it is that the program is so new that most teachers and parents are confused on the best way to implement and support the program.

Common Core math can be a difficult and it is hard to figure out where to start to find the correct information about the subject matter. If you search for the term “Common Core math” in Google, the results are a mixed bag of both positive and negative feedback. The best place to find the most comprehensive understanding of a Common Core math program is to look towards a company called Swun Math. Based out of California, the company offers in-depth and thoroughly researched math program. Swun Math is a great reference for learning about programs available to schools that will help children to understand the Common Core methods. Common Core at its base is a set of standards created to help students in the United States better understand math concepts.

Common Core is a relatively new math program for the United States. However, the program that supported the move to create a new math program was created in 1996. In the early 1990’s a “Standards & Accountability Movement” began in the United States to outline the standards that would ultimately help shape the expectations and assessments benchmarks for each grade. These standards outlined what was expected of students and each grade level and also provided assessments that would be designed to measure whether students were meeting those expectations. Out of this movement, a non-bipartisan organization called Achieve Inc., was created to raise the academic standards and graduation requirements and to improve assessments and strengthen the accountability in all of the states. The initial idea and development of the Common Core math program began with the creation of these standards and this committee.

When the expectations and standards were implemented, it became very apparent very quickly that the math scores and numeracy skills in the United States were subpar when compared to the rest of the developing countries in the world. The United States is not competing at a global level according to the Programme for International Student Assessment otherwise known as (PISA). Every three years, the PISA measures reading ability, math and science literacy and other key skills among 15-year-olds in dozens of developed and developing countries. The results of the last PISA showed that the United States ranks 38th out of 71 countries. These scores are due to the fact that math programs in the United States don’t match up with the standards of the other countries that perform in the top ten. These other countries have programs that use both visual and abstract learning programs to help kids with all different backgrounds to learn math.

According to PISA, the country of Singapore is the top performing country in numeracy skills in the world. There is a specific reason the children in Singapore consistently outperform all the other countries and it is because their curriculum is an innovative approach to learning math that was specially designed to help children learn first conceptually then abstractly. Their math courses focus on problem solving using diagrams and pictures. The country’s current curriculum was implemented in the 1980’s and pre-implementation, Singapore was not performing well in math. The country decided to create a whole new program that focuses on mastering the subject and not just mastering tests. Their math program focuses on fewer topics but covers those topics very extensively. It is the quality not quantity approach, that is a layered strategy that builds on a foundation that helps the students to refine their math skills. They begin with hands on group learning activities and then they move on to a pictorial phase that includes drawing representations of concrete objects. Once they have mastered those skills, they move on to more abstract equations and abstract learning. Math experts agree that the visual learning aspect is what is driving the success behind Singapore’s math success. Most math programs don’t include visual learning references and the difference for countries has been astounding.

Common Core math has some of the same principles that the Singaporeans use in their math curriculum. Since its implementation in the United States, there have been some mixed reviews from both parents and teachers. School administrations across the nation are working hard to get support for the program and because they know that ultimately it will help bring up the math scores of their students. The program is tricky because it is so different from what teachers, parents and students are used to in the United States. The program goes against the rote method memorization and learning that students in the United States have become accustomed to over the span of many decades. However, companies like Swun Math have created math programs that offer the Common Core Principles combined with the support that is needed to see a program like this successfully implemented into a classroom setting.

The main reason for the lack of support for Common Core math is because there is a lack of understanding about program itself. It was originally created without a lot of input or feedback from experienced educators nor was there a lot of information available about the techniques or methods. Many educators felt like they did not have the proper information to assess whether the program would be good for the students. It was a departure from the regular teaching methods and students were struggling to understand. Teachers were struggling with how to promote the standards set out in Common Core Math. Because there was a lack of understanding at the school level, parents became frustrated because they felt like their children were failing at math. But in reality, the kids were not failing; there was just not the support that was required to experience success. In spite of this, companies like Swun Math are helping students from all different backgrounds to thrive in the subject of math.

An immigrant named Si Swun, who emigrated from America from Singapore created the Swun Math program. When he first came to America, his limited English made it difficult for him to learn and eventually he became a teacher who used his past experiences to teach struggling students math in his classroom. His math program was so successful that the school district he was working for at the time wanted to implement his program in other schools in the district. It became so popular that other districts in Southern California like Newport Heights or Twin Rivers opted to adopt the program and then Swun Math was born. His program is designed to make American math education more effective and comprehensive.

Swun Math is based on the same principles that worked for the students in Singapore but Si Swun knew that half the battle of getting the program to be successful was to provide support to the teachers and the schools. Because the United States has used the rote learning method for so long, there have been a few issues with understanding the Common Core Math method. Parents have struggled to understand it so they are unable to help their kids with math homework and teachers are struggling to implement the Common Core principles in their classrooms. Swun Math has created a program that provides a support system for the teachers so they are able to provide the proper instructions to their students.

Swun Math provides demo lessons for teachers along with co-planning and co-teaching. Swun also provides all the necessary materials for full implementation of the program into the classroom. The materials included in the program are pacing guides, assessments, and instructional strategies for effective instruction in mathematics. The teachers are not the only ones who receive support from Swun, the school and district administrators also receive support from the company with on-site coaching and monthly developmental programs. Swun Math is more that just a math program, it is about providing support to teachers and the schools so they are able to successfully teach their students math. Common Core math has gotten a bad rap and Swun Math has created something that not only provides the math curriculum but also the support to both teachers and school districts.

Swun Math is also specifically designed to help close the learning gap between students from a variety of backgrounds. The United States has so many different people who speak a variety of languages and this creates the largest issue in learning math. The language barrier creates a large learning gap that becomes so difficult to overcome and the struggle to catch up. In the United States, there are already an estimated 5.3 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are English learners which means that there are about 5.3 million students who are learning English and trying to learn math at the same time. Swun designed their math programs with this issue in mind because Si Swun was once in the same position. Closing that gap between native English speakers and non-English speakers will help to improve the math competency scores for the whole country.

They students in the United States are struggling and they are behind the math curve when compared to the rest of the world. As a developed country, the math scores are far lower than they should be and there are programs out there that can help. Raising the math scores in the country will take time. It will not be an overnight success. It is important to remember that these types of programs take time and need a solid support system in place. A concrete foundation is the key to success in the Common Core math program and companies like Swun Math provide both the support and the common core program materials that will help improve the math literacy of students. It is time that schools across the nation start investing in programs like Swun because the fate of millions of students depend on a solid math curriculum.