For many school-aged children, mathematics is a “challenging” subject.
An authentic math enrichment program that originated in Singapore provides an effective intervention program that helps students develop their abilities and gain a positive attitude towards math learning.
Seriously Addictive Math (S.A.M.), founded in 2010 by Samuel Chia and Lau Chin Loong, is a multi-awarded international Singapore Math enrichment program developed by experienced Singapore Ministry of Education teachers.
It was the deep aspiration to provide the best educational foundation for kids struggling in math that urged Joni Jocson to become one of S.A.M.’s first franchisees in the country back in 2016. Her S.A.M. Center-Marikina Branch currently accommodates students from Kinder to Grade 8.
“My daughter in her younger years had Singapore Math in her school. I was really amazed how she answered math problems especially ratio. We had our struggles with her assignments, like the modeling and explaining to her how I arrived at the answer considering how I usually solved the problems is the algebra way,” related Jocson.
She continued, “How do I explain X to her? She would always tell me, ‘Mommy, that’s not how we solve it with our teacher.’ Now, I understand better. I really want to make kids and parents appreciate math minus the struggles. And S.A.M. is really the best way because it makes math more fun, more colorful, and easier to understand.”
Jocson cites S.A.M.’s unique teaching methods which motivate pupils to genuinely understand math concepts through engaging, independent, and “disciplined” learning. The program, according to her, suits kids struggling in their studies as well as those who simply love math and want to take their learning to the next level of mastery.
“S.A.M. does not make your child memorize. We make your child understand math. Once they understand, then they will be more confident in facing the math questions and the problems,” she said.
Jocson further explained, “We also teach them independence and discipline. Kids have take-home worksheets that they need to work on. They just need to answer a few questions every day so that they can hone their math skills. They need to know how to balance their time between their homework in school and their worksheets with us.
“We usually tell parents to let the kids on their own when answering their worksheets. If they commit mistakes or if they miss answering their worksheets, they will learn from their experience. Parents should not get stressed too much with S.A.M. More often than not, kids would usually finish their worksheets in one sitting because the sheets are so colorful and so challenging,” she added.
On a personal level, Jocson regards her franchise as a “meaningful accomplishment.”
“S.A.M. franchisees are not only given an income-generating opportunity. Running your own tutorial center does offer life-changing benefits for students, like helping them get improved grades, better appreciation of math concepts and accelerated learning; the perks go beyond as they give kids and their parents real results. I’m truly honored to be among the first ones to bring S.A.M. here in the Philippines,” she mused.
Via an award-winning curriculum modelled after the world-renowned Singapore Mathematics syllabus and pedagogy, the program is specially tailored and designed for children aged 3 to 12 years old.
Its aim is to build students’ core foundation in Singapore Math and enhance their thinking abilities. All the centers are franchised, and the franchisees are personally selected by the Singaporean franchise director, and trained by the S.A.M. head trainer to ensure that the quality of the teachers are up to international standards.
Since its establishment, S.A.M. has successfully expanded to over 150 centers in 16 countries around the world, including the US, Australia, and Canada. In the Philippines, S.A.M. has become a thriving after-school enrichment program and is currently one of the fastest-growing global education franchise chains in the country. S.A.M. now has over 45 branches nationwide.
Call (02) 634-0586 or 634-3717 or email [email protected] for inquiries.
