Math Curriculum
MISSION STATEMENT
In preparing for the 21st century, students must be mathematically powerful,
thinking and communicating, drawing on mathematical ideas and using mathematical
tools and techniques.
Problem solving is a process that permits its entire program and provides
the context in which concepts and skills can be explored end learned. Through
exploration and investigation students acquire knowledge and skills, develop
critical thinking, organize and interpret data and competently select and
use appropriate tools and technology. The program should contain rich alternatives
that covers all strands and emphasizes connections among the strands of
mathematics and all other disciplines.
It is our belief that students must be expected to work collaboratively
and independently, appreciating mathematics throughout history and society,
and demonstrating positive attitudes toward mathematics by working with
confidence, persistence, and enthusiasm.
KEY
GOALS
The student will use and apply mathematics.
- The student will use and apply mathematics in practical tasks, in real
life problems and within mathematics itself.
The student will become proficient in computational algorithms, develop
number sense, and gain an understanding of the concepts, patterns and skills
of algebraic thinking.
- The student will acquire an understanding of algebraic sense.
- The student will construct concepts through hands-on experiences to develop
flexible and effective methods of computation.
- The student will explore and understand patterns to make generalizations
and develop formulae.
The student will develop an understanding of shapes, space and measures,
their interrelationships and their uses.
- The student will develop an understanding of shapes and space.
- The student will understand and use measures.
The student will develop proficiency in the handling of data in a variety
of contexts for a variety of purposes.
- The student will collect, represent, and interpret data.
- The student will understand and use probability.
METHODOLOGY
Mathematical power has four dimensions: thinking, communicating, drawing on mathematical ideas,
and using tools and techniques. Students use these four dimensions to construct
meaning through rich, purposeful work.
Mathematical Thinking
Thinking includes analyzing, classifying, planning, comparing, investigating,
designing, inferring and deducing, making hypotheses and mathematical models
and testing and verifying them. Students use reasoning in problem solving
while making connections.
Mathematical Communication
As students do mathematics, they communicate their thinking and understanding
to themselves, their peers, their parents, their teachers and other adults.
All students regularly work together sharing and discussing ideas. Students
can communicate in many ways: informal conversations, verbal presentations,
written text, diagrams, symbols, numbers, graphs, tables, models and algebraic
expressions. Communication serves to clarify the students thinking. Feedback
(formal or informal) can provide useful information for revision - making
it possible for all students to improve the quality of their work.
Mathematical Ideas
Mathematical ideas refer to the content of specific subject matter of mathematics
as distinct from the other dimensions of mathematical power. Thinking, communicating
and using tools do not make students mathematically powerful, unless they
are used in conjunction with mathematical ideas. Mathematics content can
be described in terms of strands. These are the familiar mathematical subject-matter
categories. By interweaving appropriate ideas from every strand at every
grade level, a program is sufficiently broad and there is a healthy balance
of mathematics.
Strands include: number algebra, geometry, measurement, functions, logic
and language, discrete mathematics and statistics and probability.
Mathematical Tools and Techniques
To do complete work, students must put thinking and ideas to use. This typically
involves not only physical tools such as rulers, calculators and computers
but also the intellectual tools and techniques of mathematics such as two-column
addition, making graphs, and solving quadratic equations. Mathematical tools
and techniques extend thinking power and translate ideas into action. The
ability to select appropriate tools and techniques and to use them effectively
is an essential part of mathematical power.
Attributes of a Mathematically Powerful Program
- All students fully participate.
- Computational procedures are introduced as students need them.
- Students take responsibility for their learning: they question, create
and help decide what to do.
- Teachers are facilitators of learning rather than imparters of information.
- All students regularly choose and use appropriate mathematical tools,
techniques and technology such as manipulative, calculators, computers and
computational algorithms.
- All students regularly work together sharing and discussing ideas.
- All students reflect on their thinking orally and in writing.
- Assessment is integrated into instruction; its focus is on what students
understand and can do with the mathematics they know.
- Students are followed to improve the quality of their work through revision.
- The program is appropriate to the maturity and development of students.
- The program develops every student’s positive disposition towards
mathematics.
The textbook is not the Mathematics Curriculum it is just one of the tools
teachers use.
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