Mission of Math Department
The mission of the mathematics department is to provide an environment where students can learn and become competent users of mathematics and mathematical application. Moreover, the department will contribute to the development of students as mathematical thinkers, enabling them to become lifelong learners, to continue to grow in their chosen professions, and to function as productive citizens.
The aims of teaching and learning mathematics are to encourage and enable students to:
· Recognize that mathematics permeates the world around us.
· Appreciate the usefulness, power, and beauty of mathematics.
· Enjoy mathematics and develop patience and persistence when solving problems.
No matter what the students starting point is, the scheme of learning ensures high expectations for all by supporting different learning pathways and empowers students to reach their potential; long term enabling a greater social mobility by providing them with the opportunity to progress onto which ever career they desire. As a result, the skills gained will allow students to not only be successful citizens but to also contribute to the local and wider economical community and the changing world.
Curriculum
The MYP mathematics programme at XLIS is designed by using Canadian Ontario Standards and MYP math guide to inspire and motivate students to learn and appreciate the power of mathematics. We explore authentic mathematics in an effort to show how useful and relevant mathematics is to student’s lives. Students in the MYP are encouraged to explore and model situations, find solutions to various problems and to apply their maths learning in all of their course work across the entire school curriculum.
The aims of MYP mathematics are to encourage and enable students to:
· Enjoy mathematics, develop curiosity and begin to appreciate its elegance and power.
· Develop an understanding of the principles and nature of mathematics.
· Develop logical, critical and creative thinking.
· Develop confidence, perseverance, and independence in mathematical thinking and problem-solving.
· Develop powers of generalization and abstraction.
· Apply and transfer skills to a wide range of real-life situations.
· Appreciate the moral, social and ethical implications arising from the work of mathematicians and the applications of mathematics.
· Appreciate the international dimension in Mathematics through an awareness of its universality and other perspectives.
· Appreciate the contribution of mathematics to other areas of knowledge.
· Develop the ability to reflect critically upon their own work and the work of others.
Levels of challenge:
MYP Math Curriculum
· Topics and units of mathematics(M1-M3) in XLIS are organized so that students are expected to lay solid foundation in preparing future successes in math field.
· Topics and units of mathematics in XLIS are organized so that students can work at two levels of challenge (M4-M5) : standard mathematics and extended mathematics.
Standard Mathematics aims to give all students a sound knowledge of basic mathematical principles while allowing them to develop the skills needed to meet the objectives of MYP mathematics;
Extended Mathematics consists of the standard mathematics framework supplemented by additional topics and skills. This level provides the foundation for students who wish to pursue further studies in mathematics: for example, mathematics higher level (HL) as part of the IB Diploma Programme. Extended mathematics provides greater breadth and depth to the standard mathematics framework.
DP Math Curriculum
The DP mathematics programme offered at XLIS are the 3 following mathematical courses:
· Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL
· Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL
· Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation SL
Only one mathematics course can be taken as part of the diploma requirements.
All DP mathematics courses are designed to meet the diverse needs, interests, and skills of their students and to prepare them for a variety of university and career goals. These courses are designed to help students develop their mathematical skills, concepts, and principles. use and improve their powers of abstraction and generalization as well as their logical, critical, and creative thinking. Students are also urged to grasp mathematics’ global scope and the variety of its cultural and historical vantage points. Students must understand how technology is used in mathematics and become skilled with graphic display calculators in order to pass all DP mathematics courses.
Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches
In a world where innovation is becoming more and more reliant on a solid understanding of mathematics, the IB DP Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches course acknowledges the necessity for analytical expertise. The emphasis is on establishing critical mathematical ideas in a clear, consistent, and rigorous manner, which is accomplished through a methodically balanced approach. Students are encouraged to use their mathematical understanding to address both abstract and context-specific challenges.
Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations
The IB DP Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation course acknowledge the expanding significance that technology and mathematics play in a variety of fields in a world with lots of data. As a result, concentrating on subjects that are frequently utilized as applications or in mathematical modelling, stresses the meaning of mathematics in context. This course covers topics that are typically covered in a pre-university mathematics course, such as calculus and statistics, in order to provide a solid foundation for this understanding. Student problem-solving, mathematical construction and communication, and interpretation of generalizations or conclusions are all encouraged.
Assessments
In MYP each semester students are graded on the four assessment criteria designed by IB.
At the end of the course, criteria grades are combined to produce an overall MYP mathematics attainment level on a scale of 1 to 7.
DP Assessment:
The IBDP uses both internally and externally assessed components to measure student performance. The Maths Internal Assessment is an individual exploration of an area of mathematics, based on the student’s own work with guidance from their teacher. The exploration should be 12 to 20 pages long and students will spend 10 to 15 hours on the work, accounting for 20% of the total subject score. Externally, Students in SL courses will take 2 more written tests and students in HL course will take 3 more written test, accounting for 80% of the total subject score.
Whole School Assessment:
IXL Diagnostic Test, is a computerized adaptive test which helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child’s academic growth. Our students are taking this test three times a year and all the data are recorded by the school for documenting child’s growth in math and facilitating teachers to make differentiated teaching plans and homework for their students.
1. Academic Competition Organized by Math Department
XLIS organizes all important and meaningful global math competitions to give all students who are either interested in or excel in math a chance to shine in math world. These competitions include AMC8/10/12(American Mathematics Competitions), Math Kangaroo, AMC(Australian Mathematics Competition), and other global competitions. These competitions will not only further develop students’ problem-solving skills but also give them an edge in applying universities.
AMC(Australian Mathematics Competition): 23 students participated and 2 students obtained second prize, 5 students obtained third prize, 14 students obtained proficiency award.
AMC10/12(American Mathematics Competition): 12 students participated and 2 students achieved global Top 1 percent and successfully advanced to AIME.
SMC(Senior Mathematical Challenge): 1 student participated and achieved global gold.
2. Math Trivia Afternoon
Math Trivia Afternoon is an interdisciplinary quiz event that brings all MYP subjects together and offers an opportunity for students and teachers across the grades and subjects to work together. Similar to a traditional Trivia Night in the west, it’s a competition that asks participants various trivia questions, either from an array of categories or according to a specific theme. More specifically, Math Trivia Afternoon consists of 5 rounds: I&S-Math, PHE-Math, Science-Math, Art s-Math, Pure-Math. Each round consists of 7-10 math-themed questions and a teacher from a specific subject will work with a designated math teacher to announce questions and collect the results at the end of the round. Each team(15 teams in total) in this trivia event will have 9 to 10 players from MYP1 to MYP3 and players will design their own team names and strategies during homeroom time. There’s will be a winner announced at the end of each round and a grand winner for all 5 rounds. This event will greatly propel students to practice Interdisciplinary Learning as MYP requires them to apply math in other subjects and to real life situations.
Students’ Voice
Yoyo Gao: MYP5
When I was in M2(M4 for math), I decided to attend for the AMC10 math contest. At that time, I had confidence of wining a prize, however, I failed and only received a 76 due to the lack of math content. Since the year 2022, The school decided to host AMC math contest, I became more determined and ecstatic about this event happening on our campus. For the past two years, Mr. Sky also encouraged us a lot in math class, which motivated many students. He is also trying hard to build math culture in our school and I am willing to contribute more as well. Finally, in the first semester of M5, it was the brightest day of my math journey in XLIS. After nearly 4 months hard work and preparation, I eventually obtained a high score in AMC12, a whopping 136.5 out of 150, which is the highest in the entire province. I would say that this is not only my own shining day, but also the successfulness of XLIS as this broke the general stereotype that students in international school are academically weaker than local school students.
Minsang Kim – Alumni of 2023
IBDP Final Exam: 42
University: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
I participated in a number of mathematics competitions in my high school life, such as CEMC, Math Kangaroo, and AMC12. The main purpose of me participating in these is to enhance my mathematics skills by exposing myself to very challenging questions. This way of training has let me develop creative and critical thinking skills in math problem solving. Eventually, I could benefit from it in my school exams and university interviews/tests, when I encountered unfamiliar challenging questions. I also got additional benefits during my university applications – even if your score is not satisfiable, submitting it help you demonstrate your risk-taking personality. It would be great if you can get qualifying scores for AIME because it could help you apply prestigious universities such as Cambridge and MIT!
Eva Zhang: MYP3
XLIS Middle School Maths Club ECA has been a great experience for me. It represented our eagerness to learn knowledge and our love for maths. The ECA has brought together people who share their interest in math and I love the feeling of excitement when we share our methods and answers. It was extremely interesting to hear how others thought and their ideology.
Sumin Lee: DP1
Hi, this is May!
I came to XLIS after finishing my first semester as a highschool student in Korea. The biggest challenge that I’ve faced was the specific mathematics terms that is used in MYP or IBDP curriculum. Also to me, the biggest gap between the Korean syllabus and IB syllabus was their focus on math skills. Based on what I’ve experienced, I found out that IB focuses on whether the student is able to apply the math skills and use formula effectively. However, Korea’s focus is more of intricate calculations requiring high precision and how students can challenge themselves. This is shown in the syllubus as well. Since IBDP is arguably the most rigorous curriculum, I’ve found out some of the contents are from colledge level math. Since IBDP math exam questions are complicated and sometimes conform to no specific patterns, sometimes I find it more difficult than Korean Curriculum. Nevertheless, I do think XLIS math support like Math Clinic run by Mr Ice or other math events provide good opportunities for students to share questions and challenges with teachers and peers, allowing us to get a direct and immediate feedback.
Click here for more details.
Author:
Sky Du (MYP/DP Mathematics Teacher, Maths Subject Area Leader)
