Colby Kunzli 001141548 Education 3501 MNO

Mathematics Programs of Study Summary

The Mathematics Program of Studies is split into two sections; Kindergarten to Grade 9 in one, Grade 10 to 12 in the other. The Mathematics curriculum is derived from The Common Curriculum Framework for Grades K-9 Mathematics: Western and Northern Canadian Protocol and The Common Curriculum Framework for Grades 10-12 Mathematics: Western and Northern Canadian Protocol. The Common Curriculum framework insures that the math curriculums between British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon, the North West Territories, and Nunavut all share the General and Specific outcomes, mathematical beliefs, and achievement indicators. The K-9 curriculums were updated in 2007 and were fully implemented by 2010, and the 10-12 curriculums were updated in 2008 were fully updated by 2012. This summary will look at the two programs separately and describe the main attributes of both.

Mathematics Kindergarten to Grade 9 Program of Studies

The First section of the Program explains the Beliefs about Students and Mathematics, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Perspectives, Affective Domain, Early Childhood, and Goals for Students. Beliefs about Students and Mathematics Learning The Beliefs portion describes the idea that all children learn differently and each has a different background. A key objective is to relate mathematics and numeracy to these backgrounds to enhance the students learning. The idea is that mathematical meaning is established by working from simple experiences to complex, and from concrete to abstract ideas. During this you should also include working with varying materials and tools. Essential to this is the positive environment that supports the diversity of the students so that they are comfortable with exploring mathematics and solving problems in multitudes of ways. First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Perspectives This section details that teachers need to acknowledge the differences in the students backgrounds and cultures. It emphasizes the need for oral communication skills to transfer mathematical ideas, discussion of practical applications of the topics. Being aware of non-verbal communications are also quite important to see the needs of the students. Diverse teaching and assessment strategies help the students grow, and reach as many students as possible. Affective Domain The affective domain concerns the need of a positive learning environment. By having a positive learning environment students have a sense of belonging, become more engaged, and are more likely to learn the material. Early Childhood Children are introduced to mathematics long before they enter the classroom. Being naturally curious they will have mathematical knowledge from a variety of sources before class. Similarly is spatial awareness, which can be largely due to playing. Goals for Students This last section deals with the general goals that education in Mathematics for all students. Some of the Goals include: using mathematics to solve problems; appreciate mathematics; commit to lifelong learning; and communicate mathematically. Along with these goals are indicators that show these goals met; exhibiting positive attitudes towards mathematics, curiosity, and engage in mathematical discussions.

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Colby Kunzli 001141548 Education 3501 MNO The next section of the program is the Framework for K-9. In this section it describes the mathematical processes and the nature of mathematics that influence the framework. The mathematical processes are the components that allow students to achieve the goals of the curriculum. The nature of mathematics describes the components of mathematics through which we interpret the world around us. Mathematical Process: Communication Being able to communicate mathematically is an important process. It is the basis as it allows for the students to clarify, reinforce, and modify ideas. By increasing the variety of communication the amount of students reached is increased. Mathematical Process: Connections Connections are important, both between the mathematical ideas, practical applications, and students experience. Students look for connections themselves, due to their natural curiosity. Mathematical Process: Mental Mathematics and Estimation Mental mathematics make the mind more flexible and increase number sense in students. This is the basis for estimation which allows students to further their own mathematical judgment and develop strategies for practical use. Mathematical Process: Problem Solving Problem Solving is a cornerstone of mathematics and allows students to develop their own strategies. It is important as it allows students to find creative and innovative solutions and grow as a result. Mathematical Process: Reasoning Reasoning skills are important as it allows students to think logically. These skills are both used in and outside the classroom and allow students to analyze problems and reach conclusions. And, to then evaluate those conclusions. Mathematical Process: Technology Technology is an integral part of mathematics, both through the use of calculators and computers. The technology allows students to grow their curiosity and help discoveries at all levels Mathematical Process: Visualization Visualization is important for Spatial awareness and geometry. It is also important for those who think visually over other processes. Nature of Mathematics: Change Mathematics deals with dynamics and statics, and it is critical to understand the differences between the two and how they affect each other. Patterns often come out of the differences between the two. Nature of Mathematics: Constancy The constancy of certain things, while others change is important in mathematics and science in general, as with Change patterns often arise out of this. Nature of Mathematics: Number Sense The foundation of Numeracy is the intuition of numbers, or number sense. This allows students to handle more complex computations and understand mathematics better as a whole. Nature of Mathematics: Patterns Patterns are a core aspect of mathematics, which attempts to describe naturally and constructed patterns that exist. Working with patterns students make connections, and begin to see the practicability of mathematics. 2|Page

Colby Kunzli 001141548 Education 3501 MNO Nature of Mathematics: Relationships Tied with Patterns, Relationships are the interconnectivity of ideas and objects Nature of Mathematics: Spatial Sense The visualization, mental imagery, and spatial reasoning all make up spatial sense. Since mathematics is used to describe the natural world in the sciences, spatial sense allows students to form better connections with the real world examples. Nature of Mathematics: Uncertainty Statistics and Probability contain a degree of uncertainty and as knowledge of mathematics grows, students will be able to describe this uncertainty more accurately. From the nature and process, four strands were developed. These Strands are the grouping of Outcomes, both General and Specific. The Strands are: Number, Patterns and Relations, Shape and Space, and Statistics and Probability. Number refers to largely number sense and developing numeracy; Patterns and Relations deals with those two ideas largely through variables and equations; Shape and Space deals with measurements, shapes, and transformations; and lastly Statistics and Probability addresses and Data Analysis, along with Chance and Uncertainty. All of the mathematical outcomes fit within one of these strands, with the General being broader, such as Develop Number Sense, with several specific outcomes being more defined, such as Relate a numeral, 1 to 10, to its respective quantity. Under each Specific Outcome the different Mathematical processes that should be included are listed below. Also if there are connections to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Outcomes, they will also be listed below the Specific Outcome. The Outcomes as said are listed under their respective strands, it should be noted that the Program of Studies will list all of the Outcomes within a Strand, by their grade together, and then move to the next strand. To clarify, you cannot find a list of all Grade 4 Outcomes; they are each in their strands. Overall the Mathematics K-9 Program of Studies is very nicely laid out and easily navigable.

Mathematics Grade 10 to Grade 12 Program of Studies

The beginning section of the 10-12 Program is nearly identical to the K-9 Program. There are the same sections on Beliefs, FNMI Perspectives, Affective Domain, and Goals. One of the differences is that it does not have a section on early childhood. Also the Goals section has an expanded area about creating an atmosphere that fosters understanding through a multitude of actions, such as taking risks, reflection, solving problems in Groups and individually, and looking at mathematics through history. The Conceptual Framework is also strikingly familiar to K-9. It is influenced by the same Mathematical Processes and Nature of Mathematics. The difference comes instead of the Four Strands, there are now Course Sequences and Topics. The Topics includes subjects like Algebra, Geometry, Logical Reasoning, and Trigonometry. The Course Sequences refers to the streams of classes. Once entering Grade 10 there are two possible Math classes a student can take Mathematics 10C and Mathematics 10-3. The Mathematics 10-3 leads straight to Mathematics 20-3 class which leads to the Mathematics 30-3 Class. This is the -3 Sequence. The Mathematics 10C leads to both Mathematics 20-1 and 20-2 and they each respectively lead to Mathematics 30-1 and 30-2. These are the -1 and -2 sequences. The goal of this system is to prepare the student with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary either for their choice of post-secondary schooling or entry into the workforce. The -1 Sequence is designed for post-secondary programs that have calculus prerequisites, such as science or engineering degree. The -2 sequence is designed for students who are entering post-secondary programs that do not require calculus. Lastly the -3 sequence is for those students who do not wish to enter post-secondary school and want to directly enter the workforce. One of the main differences in this Program of Studies from the K-9 one is that the Outcomes are listed in by grade and sequence, and then by their topic. 3|Page

Colby Kunzli 001141548 Education 3501 MNO Similarly, the General outcome is broad, with several defining Specific underneath. The Specific will again list which Processes they utilize, and which ICT outcomes are associated.

Additional Resources
There are many additional resources to go along with the Mathematics Programs of Study. Listed with the programs on the Alberta Education website there are Program of Studies with Achievement Indicators for both K-9 and 10-12. Also they have lists of Authorized Resources (textbooks that match the outcomes) for each grade level and course sequence.. The Math Focus series of textbooks (an authorized resource) is quite helpful and in their teacher guides also list different books that students can read that are connected to the topics.

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