Comparing Signapore to MiF

[MistyMountain]

So I was doing Signapore US edition with one child and I thought I would try Math in Focus with the other child because I heard it was like Signapore but a little more incremental and I thought that would work better. Now that one child is finishing off a level I will start with the other child soon I can compare the format of the same level. I much prefer Signapore to Math in Focus. math in

Focus has so many more textbook pages to get through by a lot but to me it does not even make it seem more incremental because the Signapore explanations seem to make more sense amd be simpler. I like how Signapore lessons are done in one day but the amount of text and workbook pages per lesson in Math in Focus makes it harder to plan. There are lesson sections where there are like 10 textbook and 10 workbook pages which makes it harder to know how much should be in a day.

 

Has anyone else done both and feel similar or is it just me?

[YodaGirl]

We've never used Singapore, but we've used MiF 1A/1B - 5A/5B. The TE paces out the work. If you're unfamiliar with it and/or only purchased the HS answer key, it could be difficult to see which lessons should really last 2 or 3 days instead of the typical one. In the event things become too repetitive, I've been known to mark out excessive problems.

 

But, MiF isn't right for everyone. If you prefer Singapore, stick with it.

[Kerrie in VA]

We used Singapore US edition (TE, student workbook, and IP) and used Calvert Math as our spine with two sons and I read Liping Ma's book on Asian and US math education. I was very interested in trying Math in Focus w youngest son. We used MIF teachers lesson manual, textbook, & workbook. We used it for three years then switched back to Calvert Math. I loved the early appoaches Singapore Math used in mental math and bar method for certain story problems. I, too, loved how clear their concepts came across in the old US editions as compared to MIF. (I used Calvert Math as our spine because it also had good clear concepts on certain approaches, filled in gaps that both Singapore and MIF had, and I enjoyed their Thinking Outside the Box and Change of Pace challenges)

[ondreeuh]

I find MIF way more thorough than Singapore, with a lot more problems (this is a good thing!).

 

You can sign up for virtual samples of the MIF program, and then you can view the TMs. It takes time, but you can go through the TM lesson-by-lesson and mark where the days are divided. The first page of each lesson will say something like

Pacing

Day 1: pgs. xxx-xxx

Day 2: pgs xxx-xxx

 

On the TM page for the practice problems, in the margin it says

Assignment Guide

Day 1: All students should complete 1-13 and 20-21

Day 2: All students should complete 14-19

22-23 provide additional challenge

 

Now, these problems refer to the textbook problem set, but it is easy to find the comparable problems in the workbook. But it gives you that daily schedule to do these pages out of the textbook and assign these types of problems.

 

I have used 1A-6A so far, and we generally do a whole lesson a day even though many are designed to take 2-3 days. I just keep going until I see fatigue. The textbook has an abundance of explanations and examples - I don't use them all if my son can understand the concept quickly. This was more common in the lower grades - now that we are in Course 1 (6A) we are slowing down and doing every example. The problems in the workbook follow the order of the examples in the text. So sometimes I work halfway through the text lesson, and then give my son the first set(s) of problems that coordinate with what we've covered. Or sometimes we just cover the text one day and do the problems the next day. I almost never cross out problems though. I think all the practice is excellent. We use the workbooks for the problem sets, and I use the textbook problems for review or extra practice. In Course 1, there is no longer a workbook, but the Extra Practice workbook works perfectly.

 

For me, the visual presentation of Math in Focus is 1000% more appealing than Singapore PM. And remember, MIF is a newer, updated version of PM that is designed to be easier to teach. I find that the workbooks provide plenty of challenging practice - no need to buy lots of supplements like in PM. In the lower grades I supplemented with 70 Must-Know Word Problems, but in 6A every dang lesson is packed with word problems, so I am just thrilled with all of the application. My 9 yr old happily spends 1-2 hours a day on math, and at least half of that time we are solving the problems in the text togther, thinking of all the ways we could approach the problem and often solving it several different ways. I plan to stay with it through 8B, but finding an algebra I like as much will be tough!

Edited November 16, 2017 by ondreeuh

[ExcitedMama]

I haven't used Singapore and if you like it better go with it. If you have MIF and want to give it a try I think it's been great here. I work with DS like Ondreeuh describes. I do look at what is recommended in the TM for lesson planning but I keep an eye on time and how DS is doing. Some days we do multiple lessons and others we won't finish the lesson. It depends on how he is doing. If you missed the lesson plans they are in the beginning of the section and will lay out the pages in everything for that chapter. That might help you if you wanted to plan things out. I just open and go because planning is tricky. Sometimes it looks like very little but it's a challenging problem that could take more time which is why they didn't assign much.

[SilverMoon]

The main difference for us has been MiF breaks the math down into more steps and SM expects you to jump through them. I've used both with one DC. Personally I liked MiF better. DD/9 liked the attractiveness of MiF much better than SM, but the extra steps drove her batty. She doesn't put up with Singapore as well, but the math goes easier for her. The lack of daily lessons doesn't bother me.

(Fwiw, I'm mixing either MiF or SM with Horizons for a kid who's naturally good at math and incredibly stubborn. She psychs herself out and there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. Going back and forth between Horizons and something totally different helps keep the peace around here.)