Philosophy
The Indian Hill Math Department is committed to maintaining an educational program that ensures that all students master the basic computational skills; have an opportunity to become mathematically literate; are capable of becoming life-long learners; have an equal opportunity to learn math; and become informed citizens capable of understanding issues in a technological and informational society.
We believe that knowledge of mathematics is an essential element in the development of the whole person, and that proficiency in mathematics cannot be acquired without practice. Inquiry is the key educational enterprise, encompassing curiosity, love of learning, intellectual discipline, core knowledge and skills, and the search for meaning. A mathematics program is more than a collection of concepts and skills to be memorized and mastered. Rather, it is an articulation of experiences designed so that the student will learn to value mathematics. Thus an appropriate mathematics curriculum is a continuum of computational skills, concepts, problem solving, reasoning and communication, investigation, connections, and applications throughout every grade level. A technological component is interwoven throughout the curriculum to ensure that all students are prepared to live and work in a changing world.
Intellectual Development
- Students will use mathematical language to communicate ideas;
- Students will formulate problems, apply a variety of strategies to solve problems and generalize the solutions;
- Students will understand, interpret and evaluate mathematical ideas that are presented in written, oral or visual forms;
- Students will use inductive reasoning to recognize patterns; and use deductive reasoning to justify mathematical conclusions;
- Students will use models, diagrams, symbols and graphs to generate examples and counterexamples of mathematical concepts, and;
- Students will recognize correct and incorrect procedures; to generate new procedures or modify familiar ones.
Personal Growth
- Students will appreciate the application of mathematics to other disciplines and recognize its value as a tool and as a language.
Social Responsibility
- Students will utilize mathematical concepts and the logical thinking process of mathematics.
- Students will be able to be contributing citizens, work to the benefit and needs of others, and understand the applications of mathematics in everyday life.
Mathematics Standards for Primary, Elementary, Middle Schools – Grades K- 8