At Brentwood Park Primary School, we are enthusiastic about mathematics and encourage our students to be effective mathematicians. Mathematics (numeracy) encompasses all aspects of our lives. It is used on a daily basis, regardless of cultural and/or religious background; at sporting activities, in the playground, home school and workplace. It provides a universal way of solving problems in such diverse areas as science and engineering, business and finance, technology, arts and crafts and every day activities. Competence in mathematics is fundamental to successful participation in a modern society. Teaching relies on the students’ pre-existing knowledge and ideas to form the basis of an informed mathematical program with effective strategies to support students’ mathematical understandings.
Mathematics in the Early Years
In the Early Years, mathematical activities centre on the manipulation of physical objects in settings that support engagement and behavioural and social development. Students are encouraged to describe and discuss their mathematical thinking e.g. through sharing and interacting with others, students’ knowledge is further developed. They learn to sort, count and compare concrete objects and use and describe basic measurement concepts. This leads students to begin to recognise the structure of number so that they can recognise and work with simple patterns in number, measurement and space.
Mathematics in Years 2 – 6
In the later years, of schooling students develop many abstract and conceptual understandings of mathematics to become complex thinkers who can apply logical reasoning in a variety of mathematical situations e.g. open ended rich tasks that involve number and measurement. Brentwood Park Primary School ensures that mathematical reasoning and thinking underpins all aspects of the mathematics program, based on real life situations, including problem solving, investigation and modelling.
Assessment for Learning
Assessment tools are used to inform teachers of student abilities and identify areas of need. Programs are implemented using a differentiated curriculum to ensure that the needs of the individual student are met. Explicit teaching of strategies instils in students the ability to use mathematical reasoning. Scope and sequence charts have been developed to ensure teaching and learning is cyclical and sequential.