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Leong, Yew Hoong
Preferred name
Leong, Yew Hoong
Email
yewhoong.leong@nie.edu.sg
Department
Mathematics & Mathematics Education (MME)
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ORCID
56 results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 56
- PublicationOpen AccessTeaching undergraduate mathematics: A problem solving course for first year(University of Debrecen, 2022)
; ; ; ; ; ;Quek, Khiok SengIn this paper we describe a problem solving course for first year undergraduate mathematics students who would be future school teachers.80 182 - PublicationOpen AccessA listing approach for counting problemsIt is well-known that Counting Problems are difficult for many students. Mistakes such as the wrong use of formulas or the insensitivity to over/under-counting are common. This study draws on the work of Lockwood (2013, 2014) to conceptualise the interacting components in the work of solving counting problems. In particular, we implemented a “listing approach” in the teaching of counting problems in a Polytechnic course for engineering students in Singapore. From the close interview of three students in the course that corresponded to three profile types, we evaluate the specific usefulness of the approach for each of these types of students. We also propose a provisional model that can guide the restructuring of a course on combinatorics.
93 138 - PublicationOpen AccessAssessment in a problem solving curriculum(2009)
; ;Quek, Khiok Seng; ;Dindyal, JaguthsingIn this paper we elaborate on the ways for assessing problem solving that goes beyond the usual focus on the products of the problem solving process. We designed a ‘practical’ worksheet to guide the students through the problem solving process. The worksheet focuses the solver’s attention on the key stages in problem solving. To assess the students’ problem solving throughout the process, we developed a scoring rubric based on Polya’s model (1954) and Schoenfeld’s framework (1985). Student response to the practical worksheet is discussed.362 521 - PublicationRestrictedEffects of Geometers' Sketchpad on spatial ability and achievement in transformation geometry among secondary 2 students in Singapore(2001)Driven by the IT Master Plan implemented by the local education authority, schools in Singapore have over the recent few years incorporated the use of computers in the classroom, including the integration of relevant software for the teaching and learning of mathematics. Educators extol the huge potential in computers being superior over conventional teaching aids and in the suitability of computer software in encouraging students' exploration as a way of learning Mathematics.
This study investigated how the use of a common construction programme in different pedagogical settings impacted spatial ability and achievement scores of students within concepts in transformation geometry.
The subjects were Secondary Two Express stream students from a school with above-average ranking among National schools. Three classes participated in the study. All the classes were taught an instructional module on transformation geometry with the use of the Geometer's Sketchpad. The software was however employed differently in the three classes: In Class A (n = 41), the approach adopted by the teacher was that of guided-inquiry, and the technological use was supportive of the pedagogy - students have hands-on experience with the software to explore and make conjectures; in class C(n - 38), the teachers' predominant role was that of an expositor and the students' role that of knowledge-recipients, and the software was used as a teacher's tool to demonstrate dynamically the properties of motions; Class B (n = 42) was the 'in-between' of Class A and Class C - adopting the pedagogy of guided-inquiry in whole-class discourses with the teacher manipulating objects on the displays on the projected screen what students would for themselves like to do on the computers.
Pre- and Post-treatment tests were conducted using the Wheatley Spatial Ability Test (WSAT), which is a widely-used instrument in testing students' ability in mental manipulations of planimetric objects. Paired-sample t-tests show highly significant increases between pre- and posttest scores in all the classes. There was no significant difference in the posttest scores between the classes after factoring in differences in the pre-test scores, as analysed using ANCOVA.
A Motion Geometry Test (MGT) was constructed to test the subjects' level of attainment of National curricula objectives within the topic of 'Motion Geometry' in the syllabus at the end of the intervention period. An F-test indicated that scores from students in Class C were significantly lower than those from the other two classes. There was no significant difference in MGT scores between Class A and Class B.
One-to-one teacher-student interview sessions were conducted with five selected students from each class to further investigate the strength of concepts learnt during the treatment period. Each student was presented with four on-screen object-image figures and his/her task was to fully describe the possible single transformation for each task; the teacher provided prompts when the student encountered difficulties in proceeding further. Analysis of the teacher-student responses points to higher level concept abstraction found in students from Class A.173 13 - PublicationOpen AccessA study of school mathematics curriculum enacted by competent teachers in Singapore secondary schools(Springer, 2018)
; ; ; ; A study of school mathematics curriculum enacted by competent teachers in Singapore secondary schools, is a programmatic research project at the National Institute of Education (NIE) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore through the Office of Education Research (OER) at NIE. The main goal of the project is to collect a set of data that would be used by two studies to research the enacted secondary school mathematics curriculum. The project aims to examine how competent experienced secondary school teachers implement the designated curriculum prescribed by the MOE in the 2013 revision of curriculum. It does this firstly by examining the video recordings of the classroom instruction and interactions between secondary school mathematics teachers and their students, as it is these interactions that fundamentally determine the nature of the actual mathematics learning and teaching that take place in the classroom. It also examines content through the instructional materials used – their preparation, use in classroom and as homework. The project comprises a video segment and a survey segment. Approximately 630 secondary mathematics teachers and 600 students are participating in the project. The data collection for the video segment of the project is guided by the renowned complementary accounts methodology while the survey segment adopts a self-report questionnaire approach. The findings of the project will serve several purposes. They will provide timely feedback to mathematics specialists in the MOE, inform pre-service and professional development programmes for mathematics teachers at the NIE and contribute towards articulation of “Mathematics pedagogy in Singapore secondary schools” that is evidence based.WOS© Citations 1Scopus© Citations 3 341 522 - PublicationOpen AccessNote-taking in a mathematics classroom(Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, 2014)
; ; ;Quek, Khiok Seng ;Yap, Sook Fwe ;Tong, Cherng Luen ;Toh, Karen Wei Yeng ;Chia, AlexanderOng, Yao Teck177 394 - PublicationMetadata onlySolving fractional equations: (In)flexibility and its rootsFlexibility in mathematical problem-solving is crucial for developing creative thinking skills. However, recent observations reveal a common issue among students - the inconsistency in using innovative strategies despite understanding them. In this study, we want to explore why Chinese students may lack flexibility in solving a given fractional equation problem by analysing textbooks. We began this study by noting the surprising phenomenon that numerous teachers/students from China considered ‘the case' solution of the given fractional equation to be wrong - when it is correct - and that the sampled Singaporean counterparts provided a more varied response. This prompted us to go to some authoritative textbooks from China - using the Singapore textbooks as comparative foils - to study the features that may answer to this discovered phenomenon. By investigating the relevant sections of school textbooks of China, we found that Chinese textbooks provide a consistent emphasis on the ‘standard strategy'. That is to say, they advocate a quick convergence into a prescribed singular method of solving fractional equations, which likely narrows opportunities to flexibly experiment with other ways. The findings underscore the need to understand how educational materials shape students’ flexibility and call for a broader perspective on fostering creative thinking in mathematics education.
8 - PublicationOpen AccessUsing dynamic geometry software in teaching geometry proof(2010-08)
;Ho, Foo HimIn this paper, we report an exploratory study on the use of Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) to help students learn geometry proofs. We take the stance that learning geometry proofs is meaningful if students are given opportunities to discover geometric properties themselves and to prove what they have discovered. In our approach to teaching the topic on Circle Properties, leading to geometry proof related to the topic, we scaffolded the students' learning using GSP through progressive stages. One key innovation in this project is to include GSP as one component in assessments. This is to reflect the importance of investigative work they have done through GSP during their lessons. We used a perception survey to gather students' feedback on the approach taken to teaching the topic on Circle Properties and geometry proofs. The survey consisted six Likert-type questions. The results indicated that a majority of the students found GSP a useful tool in learning geometry, including proofs. However, there was still a significant number of students who were not ready to fully harness the potential of GSP. Nevertheless the results provide us with sufficient encouragement to fine-tune the lesson design for future implementation.226 185 - PublicationOpen AccessMathematical problem solving for everyone: Infusion and diffusion (MInD)(Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Singapore, 2020)
; ; ; ;Quek, Khiok Seng; ;Dindyal, JaguthsingHo, Foo HimThis research project is an attempt to realise the ideals of mathematical problem solving, which is at the heart of the Singapore mathematics curriculum in the daily practices of mainstream mathematics classrooms. This work builds on the foundation of M-ProSE (OER 32/08 TTL) to diffuse the findings to the mainstream school curriculum. Our work involves three steps: (1) initialisation of problem solving as an essential part of the mathematics curriculum in a school at the foundational year; (2) infusion of problem solving as an embedded regular curricular and pedagogical practice across all year levels in the school, and (3) diffusion of this innovation from this school to the full range of schools in Singapore. In each of the above steps, we take a complex systems approach and include curriculum, instructional practices, assessment and teacher professional development in our overall design research process. Our current project builds upon the initial foundation of MProSE to scale out (infuse) and scale up (diffuse) the innovation to mainstream schools in Singapore, hence the project is named MInD. With the experience and data collected from MProSE research school, the design needs to be re-adjusted in order for problem solving to be diffused throughout the mainstream schools. The importance and relevance of this research project to schools is readily observed by the schools' responses: To the researchers' pleasant surprise, four mainstream schools readily expressed their commitment to participate in this research as the school leaders see the relevance of this project to their school curriculum. Further, the Principal of MProSE research school expressed his interest to get his school involved for the infusion phase(step (2)) of the research. The research team of MInD consists of the original researchers from MProSE and two more new team members. The entire team consists of expertise from different fields: mathematicians, mathematics educator, educational psychologist, curriculum specialist, senior teacher, a school principal (who is also a mathematician), an expert of change management and leadership studies, a senior MOE curriculum specialist.155 74 - PublicationOpen AccessProblem solving in the school curriculum from a design perspective(2010-07)
; ; ;Dindyal, JaguthsingQuek, Khiok SengIn this symposium, we discuss some preliminary data collected from our problem solving project which uses a design experiment approach. Our approach to problem solving in the school Curriculum is in tandem with what Schoenfeld (2007) claimed: “Crafting instruction that would make a wide range of problem-solving strategies accessible to students would be a very valuable contribution … This is an engineering task rather than a conceptual one” (p. 541). In the first paper, we look at how two teachers on this project taught problem solving. As good problems are key to the successful implementation of our project, in the second paper, we focus on some of the problems that were used in the project and discuss the views of the participating students on these problems. The third paper shows how an initially selected problem led to a substitute problem to meet our design criteria.183 303