With the launch of the revised Mathematics Syllabus since 2020, there is also an emphasis on Big Ideas. These Big Ideas, which are discussed in class, include:

1. Diagrams

2. Equivalence

3. Functions

4. Invariance

5. Measures

6. Models

7. Notations

8. Proportionality

Talk Moves & Orchestrating Mathematics Discussions

Mathematics teachers in Bedok South Secondary School do our best to encourage our students to speak up and explore possibilities. With the use of Math Talk Moves, students respond to each other’s comments by agreeing/disagreeing, reasoning and building on each other’s comments in order to add another layer of learning. Through these conversations, we create alternative solutions and non-examples that help everyone extend learning in the class.

Orchestrating Discussions

Teachers also orchestrate lively mathematics discussions in class by adopting the following 5-step model to ensure that students’ input and conversations are further discussed in class for richer learning.

Mathematics Discourse

We also conduct Mathematics Discourse, in the form of open tasks, in order to explore and review the numerous possible Mathematical concepts that could be deployed to solve the problem. This helps our students to see topics in the macro form so that they can appreciate the spiral nature of the Mathematics curriculum. Here are 2 examples of open tasks.

Mathematical Modelling

Applying mathematics to real-world problems often involves modelling, where reasonable assumptions and simplifications are made so that problems can be formulated mathematically, and where mathematical solutions are interpreted and evaluated in the context of the real-world problem. The mathematical modelling process is shown in the diagram below.

Learning Experience - SORBET Mathematical Modelling Experience

One of the Mathematical Modelling experiences we had in 2021 was the SORBET Mathematical Modelling Experience in partnership with the National Institute of Education. Secondary 2 students had the chance to be immersed in an app, where they were in fact collecting data to study the statistical and probabilistic branch of Mathematics. From this experience, students also better appreciated the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) component of social responsibility.

Learning Experience – DESMOS Art

Our Secondary 3 students were introduced to an online graphing software to showcase their graphing calculator skills, creativity and understanding of Mathematics. The theme of their project was: Build a House & Stronger Together.

Learning Experience – Potato Chip Problem

In previous years, our Secondary 1 students came up with a matrix decision table to decide which was the best brand of potato chip.

Problem Solving with Pólya

In Bedok South Mathematics department, we adopt a modified approach to Pólya’s Problem Solving Strategy (1945). When our students face a Mathematical problem (not just a textbook exercise), our students use the following four stages to solve the problem.

1. Understand the Problem – Understanding the important information in the problem, including variables, constants, inclusions, exclusions, context.

2. Devise a Plan – Coming up with a possible plan using existing Mathematical knowledge and heuristics to decide how to move forward.

3. Carry Out the Plan – Carrying out what we have planned to do. There are times where Steps 1, 2 and 3 go on a loop for multiple times.

4. Check & Expand – Our students do not stop once an answer is found. They check their work after completing. Further learning is explored here when we expand the problem to see patterns, the general case or other exciting variations that come up from the original problem.

UCAP

Bedok South Mathematics Department uses the UCAP method for Error Analysis.