Recent coverage on PISA scores has led many to draw attention to Singapore's most recent test data, ranking this small Asian country at the very top of international educational systems. I am always leery of making too big a deal of these scores because comparing countries is a bit like comparing night and day; there are just too many other factors such as history, demographics, economies, politics and geography that must be considered when exploring educational outcomes. What I feel like we miss is the simple fact that rather than discourage exploration and innovation, Singapore actually encourages this way of thinking. Instead of rote memorization and the typical stand and deliver method that groups like KIPP and other outdated systems of education tend to promote, the 522 school districts in Singapore believe that learning in depth is the reason for their success, not a hindrance to. In our test-driven American educational system, we tend to believe that this is exactly what contributes to success when in reality its quite the opposite. In fact Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong, in advocating for more in-depth learning launched a country wide campaign entitled, "Teach Less, Learn More" in a response to the narrowing of curriculum and teachers only focusing on skills out of concept.
So perhaps, instead of us trying to copy exactly what another country is doing, lets get to the good work of allowing students to explore concepts, provide ample opportunities for student transfer of knowledge and skills, and plenty of real-world application. These are the cornerstones of excelling not only on standardized test scores such as PISA but in life in general.
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