MATHEMATICS AT ROXBURGH HOMESTEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

 
Learning mathematics creates opportunities and enriches the lives of all students.

At Roxburgh Homestead Primary School we aim to ensure that all students:

• are confident, creative users and communicators of mathematics, able to investigate, represent and interpret situations in their personal and work lives and as active citizens.
• develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of mathematical concepts and fluency with processes, are able to pose and solve problems and explain their thinking.
• recognise connections between the areas of mathematics and other disciplines and appreciate mathematics as an accessible and enjoyable discipline to study.
• appreciate that mathematical ideas have evolved across all cultures over thousands of years and are still developing.

Mathematics in the new Australian Curriculum is organised around the interaction of three content strands and four proficiency strands.

The content strands describe what is to be taught and learnt. They are:

• Number and Algebra
• Measurement and Geometry
• Statistics and Probability

The proficiency strands describe how content is explored and developed and are embedded into the content descriptions. They are:

• Understanding
• Fluency
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning

The mathematics curriculum at Roxburgh Homestead Primary School has been developed to ensure that achievement standards establish high expectations for all students. Each mathematics lesson has a clear learning intention and tasks are differentiated to meet the needs of every student. Students reflect on their learning and are provided with the opportunity to give and receive feedback.

The home-school partnership is also an important part of mathematics at Roxburgh Homestead Primary School. We run parent forums throughout the year, where we discuss different aspects of maths and give parents the opportunity to ask questions in an informal setting. There are also many opportunities for mathematics learning and consolidation of skills to take place ‘out of school hours’. Some examples are:

• Counting and reading numbers
• Money – awareness of value of notes and coins, counting money and calculating change when shopping.
• Cooking – measuring and weighing ingredients.
• Time – reading time, understanding calendars, reading time tables, TV guides.
• Maps – working out directions to get to a destination.

At Roxburgh Homestead Primary School we strive at all times to encourage our students to become self-motivated, confident learners of mathematics through inquiry and active participation in challenging and engaging experiences.