Mathematics
Faculty Statement
Bonnyrigg High School offers a widening range of courses for students from Years 7 to 12. Students in Years 7 and 8 complete a common course with considerable differentiation; students in Years 9 and 10 complete Stage 5 of the current curriculum in strands known as 5.3, 5.2 and 5.1 – 5.3 being the formerly named ‘Advanced Course'. In Years 11 and 12, students may complete the ‘3 unit' Extension 1 course, the ‘2 unit' Mathematics course or the ‘2 unit' General Mathematics course. In Year 12, students from the Extension 1 course may choose to do the ‘4 unit' Extension 2 course. From 2012, students will be offered an additional course known as ‘Applied Mathematics' – a course not tested at HSC level. Other students may also choose to do ‘Life Skills'.
The Mathematics Faculty at Bonnyrigg High School believes Mathematics is a reasoning and creative activity that employs abstraction and generalisation to identify, describe and apply patterns and relationships. It is a significant part of the cultural heritage of many diverse societies. The symbolic nature of mathematics provides a powerful, precise and concise means of communication. Mathematics incorporates the processes of questioning, reflecting, reasoning and proof. It is a powerful tool for solving familiar and unfamiliar problems both within and beyond mathematics. As such, it is integral to scientific and technological advances in many fields of endeavour. In addition to its practical applications, the study of mathematics is a valuable pursuit in its own right, providing opportunities for originality, challenge and leisure.
The study of mathematics provides opportunities for students to learn to describe and apply patterns and relationships; reason, predict and solve problems; calculate accurately both mentally and in written form; estimate and measure; and interpret and communicate information presented in numerical, geometrical, graphical, statistical and algebraic forms. Mathematics provides support for concurrent learning in other key learning areas and builds a sound foundation for further mathematics education.
Students will have the opportunity to develop an appreciation of mathematics and its applications in their everyday lives and in the worlds of science, technology, commerce, the arts and employment. The study of the subject enables students to develop a positive self-concept as learners of mathematics, obtain enjoyment from mathematics, and become self-motivated learners through inquiry and active participation in challenging and engaging experiences.
The ability to make informed decisions, and to interpret and apply mathematics in a variety of contexts, is an essential component of students' preparation for life in the twenty-first century. To participate fully in society students need to develop the capacity to critically evaluate ideas and arguments that involve mathematical concepts or that are presented in mathematical form.
Subjects offered in the Junior School
In Years 7 and 8, students will be exposed to the Stage 4 curriculum.
In Years 9 and 10, students will be exposed to the Stage 5 curriculum.
The core essential content for Mathematics in these stages is structured using:-
Ø One (1) process strand entitled ‘Working Mathematically', and
Ø Five (5) content strands entitled
- Number
- Patterns and Algebra
- Data
- Measurement, and
- Space and Geometry.
These strands contain the knowledge, skills and understanding for the study of mathematics in these years of schooling.
In addition to the content strands, teachers may wish to include in their teaching and learning programs other material in order to broaden and deepen students' knowledge, skills and understanding, to meet students' interests, or to stimulate student interest in other areas of mathematics. This is particularly relevant to students in ‘Selective Classes'.
The following list contains possible topics for inclusion in teaching and learning programs (differentiation). This additional content is not essential, nor is it required as pre-requisite knowledge for other topics. The list is not exhaustive.
Number
- Exploration of numbers such as perfect and amicable numbers
- Set theory
- Venn diagrams
- Number bases other than 10
- Calculating methods and devices eg abacus, Napier's Bones
- Construction of magic squares
- Cube root formula
- Algorithm for finding square roots
- Logic puzzles
- Number theory
- Matrices and vectors
Patterns and Algebra
- Linear programming
- Finite differences
- Three-dimensional coordinate geometry
- Polar coordinates
Data
- The normal distribution
Measurement
- Heron's formula for the area of a triangle
- Non-metric units of measurement
- Surveying
- Navigation – latitude and longitude
Space and Geometry
- Codes
- Knots
- Further tessellations (including semi-regular tessellations)
- Networks
- Topology
- Planes of symmetry of solids
- Semi-regular polyhedra; truncated, snub-nosed and stellated solids
- Construction of inscribed, circumscribed and escribed circles for a triangle
- Construction, using ruler and compasses, of angles of 15º, 30º, 45º, 60º, 90º, 105º
- Fractals
- Golden section
- Golden mean construction
It is anticipated that a new National Curriculum will commence for Years 7-10 in 2013.
Subjects offered in the Senior School
In Years 11 and 12, students will be exposed to the Stage 6 curriculum.
In Year 12, some students will be exposed to the Extension 2 component of the Stage 6 curriculum.
The new National Curriculum will commence for Years 11-12 at some time after 2013.
Stage 6 courses are rigorous and need much commitment for students to excel. The Extension 1 course targets the very gifted students. These students should score outstanding results in both the School Certificate examination and the Year 10 5.3 course. The Mathematics course has often been referred to as the ‘2 unit Advanced' course. Students who choose to do this course should have a strong understanding of the Year 10 5.3 course. The General Mathematics and Applied Mathematics courses are offered to all other students who choose to study mathematics in Years 11 and 12.
Resources available to Students
Many resources are available to students at Bonnyrigg High School, which now include:-
Mathletics
Mathsonline
Brainpop
Geogebra
Moodle
Faculty Highlights
Results of the 2011 Australian Mathematics Competition:-
97 entrants
1 Prize (top 0.3%)
Jimmy Aleksandroff
20 Distinction awards
Yr 12 - David Vang Steven Lim
Yr 11 – Daniel Tran Tony Phan
Yr 10 – Daniel Trinh Hoang Son Nguyen
Yr 9 – Andy Pham
Yr 8 – Amy Lim Jeanna Nguyen Tien Le Amit Chawla Nathan Giang David Nguyen
Yr 7 – Vinh Nguyen Daniel Dang Brandon Le Uammi Lomo Keving Nguyen Brandon Chen Rebecca Kung 53 Credit awards
17 Proficient awards
6 Participation awards
