The study of mathematics is mandatory from Kindergarten to Year 10. The teaching of mathematics at St Benedict’s is informed by the College Mission Statement “Something to strive for, and Nothing to run from”.
The aim of the Mathematics department is for students to:
- Be 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 mathematical processes, and be able to pose and solve problems and reason in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, Financial Mathematics, Statistics and Probability.
- Recognise connections between the areas of mathematics and other disciplines and appreciate mathematics as an accessible, enjoyable discipline to study, and an important aspect of lifelong learning.
Students are challenged at an appropriate level with regard to their cognitive development, recognising that each student will be on different levels of transition from operating on a concrete operational level to formal operational level.
Those students who demonstrate a high aptitude for mathematics are identified and invited to take part in enrichment work in mathematics. This may take the form of extension work in the classroom or independent investigation tasks. The school participates in the Australian Mathematics and Informatics Competitions and the ‘Challenge’ and ‘Enrichment’ stages of the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians.
The Mathematics faculty strives to use technology to assist students investigating their world – and the use of tools such as ‘GeoGebra’, ‘Desmos’ and Excel is promoted in the classroom. The College provides access to websites such as ‘HotMaths’, ‘Mathsonline’ and ‘Sumdog’ where appropriate to assist students in consolidating their understanding of the concepts covered in the classroom.
Links to the local community and the relevance of mathematics in the students everyday lives is emphasised through activities and excursions held throughout the year.
Courses offered in Year 11 and 12 include:
- Numeracy
- Mathematics Standard 1
- Mathematics Standard 2
- Mathematics Advanced
- Mathematics Extension 1
- Mathematics Extension 2