Page 6 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Mathematics, 2007

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Mathematics
Equity of opportunity for student success in mathematics involves meeting the diverse learning needs of students and promoting excellence for all students. Equity is achieved when curriculum expectations are grade- and destination- appropriate, when teaching and learning strategies meet a broad range of student needs, and when a variety of pathways through the mathematics curriculum are made available to students.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum must serve a number of purposes. It must engage all students in mathematics and equip them to thrive in a society where mathematics is increasingly relevant in the workplace. It must engage and motivate as broad a group of students as possible, because early abandonment of the study of mathematics cuts students off from many career paths and postsecondary options.
The unprecedented changes that are taking place in today’s world will profoundly affect the future of today’s students. To meet the demands of the world in which they live, stu- dents will need to adapt to changing conditions and to learn independently. They will require the ability to use technology effectively and the skills for processing large amounts of quantitative information. Today’s mathematics curriculum must prepare students for their future roles in society. It must equip them with an understanding of important mathematical ideas; essential mathematical knowledge and skills; skills of reasoning, problem solving, and communication; and, most importantly, the ability and the incen- tive to continue learning on their own. This curriculum provides a framework for accomplishing these goals.
The development of mathematical knowledge is a gradual process. A coherent and con- tinuous program is necessary to help students see the “big pictures”, or underlying prin- ciples, of mathematics. The fundamentals of important skills, concepts, processes, and attitudes are initiated in the primary grades and fostered throughout elementary school. The links between Grade 8 and Grade 9 and the transition from elementary school mathe- matics to secondary school mathematics are very important in developing the student’s confidence and competence.
The secondary courses are based on principles that are consistent with those that under- pin the elementary program, facilitating the transition from elementary school. These courses reflect the belief that students learn mathematics effectively when they are given opportunities to investigate new ideas and concepts, make connections between new learning and prior knowledge, and develop an understanding of the abstract mathematics involved. Skill acquisition is an important part of the learning; skills are embedded
in the contexts offered by various topics in the mathematics program and should be introduced as they are needed. The mathematics courses in this curriculum recognize the importance of not only focusing on content, but also of developing the thinking processes that underlie mathematics. By studying mathematics, students learn how to reason logi-
cally, think critically, and solve problems – key skills for success in today’s workplaces.
Mathematical knowledge becomes meaningful and powerful in application. This curri- culum embeds the learning of mathematics in the solving of problems based on real-life situations. Other disciplines are a ready source of effective contexts for the study of mathe- matics. Rich problem-solving situations can be drawn from related disciplines, such as computer science, business, recreation, tourism, biology, physics, and technology, as well as from subjects historically thought of as distant from mathematics, such as geography
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