A Comparative Study of Mathematical Modeling Teaching in Primary Schools in the United States and Singapore

The Chinese Ministry of Education's Compulsory Education Mathematics Curriculum Standards advocate model thinking as a major component of core literacy, in which teachers are to guide students to understand and apply mathematical models based on life cognition, and to develop the ability to use mathematical models to solve problems. The use of mathematical modeling thinking in primary school mathematics teaching is not only a requirement of the new curriculum standards but also improves the problem-solving ability of primary school students. There have been many international studies on mathematical modeling. This paper describes, analyzes, and summarizes the research on teaching mathematical modeling in the United States and Singapore and the implications for China.