Mathematics Analysis and Approaches - new syllabus effective as of September 2019

Group 5 aims

The aims of all mathematics courses are to enable students to:

1. develop a curiosity and enjoyment of mathematics, and appreciate its elegance and power

2. develop an understanding of the concepts, principles and nature of mathematics

3. communicate mathematics clearly, concisely and confidently in a variety of contexts

4. develop logical and creative thinking, and patience and persistence in problem solving to instil confidence in using mathematics

5. employ and refine their powers of abstraction and generalization

6. take action to apply and transfer skills to alternative situations, to other areas of knowledge and to future developments in their local and global communities

7. appreciate how developments in technology and mathematics influence each other

8. appreciate the moral, social and ethical questions arising from the work of mathematicians and the applications of mathematics

9. appreciate the universality of mathematics and its multicultural, international and historical perspectives

10. appreciate the contribution of mathematics to other disciplines, and as a particular “area of knowledge” in the TOK course

11. develop the ability to reflect critically upon their own work and the work of others

12. independently and collaboratively extend their understanding of mathematics.

Assessment Objectives

Problem-solving is central to learning mathematics and involves the acquisition of mathematical skills and concepts in a wide range of situations, including non-routine, open-ended and real-world problems. Having followed a DP mathematics course, students will be expected to demonstrate the following.

1. Knowledge and understanding: recall, select and use their knowledge of mathematical facts, concepts and techniques in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

2. Problem-solving: recall, select and use their knowledge of mathematical skills, results and models in both real-world and abstract contexts to solve problems.

3. Communication and interpretation: transform common realistic contexts into mathematics; comment on the context; sketch or draw mathematical diagrams, graphs or constructions both on paper and using technology; record methods, solutions and conclusions using standardized notation; use appropriate notation and terminology.

4. Technology: use technology, accurately, appropriately and efficiently both to explore new ideas and to solve problems.

5. Reasoning: construct mathematical arguments through use of precise statements, logical deduction and inference, and by the manipulation of mathematical expressions.

6. Inquiry approaches: investigate unfamiliar situations, both abstract and real-world, involving organizing and analysing information, making conjectures, drawing conclusions and testing their validity.

ATL Skills

In DP mathematics courses, conceptual understandings are key to promoting deep learning. Concepts play an important role in mathematics, helping students and teachers to think with increasing complexity as they organize and relate facts and topics. Students use conceptual understandings as they solve problems, analyse issues and evaluate decisions that can have an impact on themselves, their communities and the wider world.

Concepts promote the development of a broad, balanced, conceptual and connected curriculum. They represent big ideas that are relevant and facilitate connections within topics, across topics and also to other subjects within the DP. Each topic begins by stating the essential understandings of the topic and highlighting relevant concepts fundamental to the topic.

The course identifies twelve fundamental concepts which relate with varying emphasis to each of the five topics. The twelve concepts identified below support conceptual understanding

Moreover, throughout the DP mathematics courses, students are encouraged to develop their understanding of the methodology and practice of the discipline of mathematics. The processes of mathematical inquiry, proofs, mathematical modelling and applications and the use of technology is introduced appropriately.

The exploration help students understand the ways in which mathematical discoveries were made and the techniques used to make them and often help them to realize the social and cultural context of mathematics.

Mathematics and theory of knowledge (TOK)

The universality of mathematics as a means of communication is emphasized continually. The international perspective of the students for Mathematics is highly advanced through class discussion and links made with TOK.

As part of their theory of knowledge course, students are encouraged to explore tensions relating to knowledge in mathematics. As an area of knowledge, mathematics seems to supply a certainty perhaps impossible in other disciplines and in many instances provides us with tools to debate these certainties. This may be related to the “purity” of the subject, something that can sometimes make it seem divorced from reality. Yet mathematics has also provided important knowledge about the world and the use of mathematics in science and technology has been one of the driving forces for scientific advances.

Despite all its undoubted power for understanding and change, mathematics is in the end a puzzling phenomenon. A fundamental question for all knowers is whether mathematical knowledge really exists independently of our thinking about it. Is it there, “waiting to be discovered”, or is it a human creation? Indeed, the philosophy of mathematics is an area of study in its own right.

Mathematics and creativity, activity, service (CAS)

CAS and mathematics can complement each other in a number of ways. Mathematical knowledge provides an important key to understanding the world in which we live, and the mathematical skills and techniques students learn in the mathematics courses will allow them to evaluate the world around them which will help them to develop, plan and deliver CAS experiences or projects.

An important aspect of the mathematics courses is that students develop the ability to systematically analyse situations and can recognize the impact that mathematics can have on the world around them. An awareness of how mathematics can be used to represent the truth enables students to reflect critically on the information that societies are given or generate, and how this influences the allocation of resources or the choices that people make. This systematic analysis and critical reflection when problem solving may be inspiring springboards for CAS projects.

Applications and Interpretation

Course description

• Mathematics: applications and interpretation will develop mathematical thinking, often in the context of a practical problem and using technology to justify conjectures.
• This course recognizes the increasing role that mathematics and technology play in a diverse range of fields in a data-rich world.
• It emphasizes the meaning of mathematics in context by focusing on topics that are often used as applications or in mathematical modelling. To give this understanding a firm base, this course also includes topics that are traditionally part of a pre-university mathematics course such as calculus and statistics.
• The course makes extensive use of technology to allow students to explore and construct mathematical models.
• Applications and interpretation is a course aiming to address the needs of students enjoy seeing mathematics used in real-world contexts and to solve real-world problems.
• Applications and interpretation at HL is a course aiming to address the needs of students with a strong mathematical background, who get pleasure and satisfaction when exploring challenging problems and who are comfortable to undertake this exploration using technology. The course gives great emphasis on modelling, statistics and graph theory.
• Applications and interpretation at SL is a course aiming to address the needs of students who are weak in math and do not wish to undertake math after high school. The course gives a great emphasis on technology to solve practical problems.

Syllabus outline – HL/SL

Assessment outline—HL

Assessment outline—SL