Page 51 - Mathematics GRADE 9, DE-STREAMED (MTH1W)

complex and contain a higher density of information than any other text.10 Reading mathematical text requires literacy strategies that are unique to mathematics.
The learning of mathematics requires students to navigate discipline-specific reading and writing skills; therefore, it is important that mathematics instruction link literacy practices to specific mathematical processes and tasks. To make their thinking visible, students should be encouraged to clearly communicate their mathematical thinking, using the discipline-specific language of mathematics, which provides educators with the opportunity to correct student thinking when necessary.11 The language of mathematics includes special terminology. To support all students in developing an understanding of mathematical texts, teachers need to explicitly teach mathematical vocabulary, focusing on the many meanings and applications of the terms students may encounter. In mathematics, students are required to use appropriate and correct terminology and are encouraged to use language with care and precision in order to communicate effectively.
More information about the importance of literacy across the curriculum can be found in the “Literacy” and “Mathematical Literacy” subsections of “Cross-curricular and Integrated Learning”.
Transferable Skills in Mathematics
The Ontario curriculum emphasizes a set of skills that are critical to all students’ ability to thrive in school, in the world beyond school, and in the future. These are known as transferable skills. Educators facilitate students’ development of transferable skills across the curriculum, from Kindergarten to Grade 12. They are as follows:
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. In mathematics, students and educators learn and apply strategies to understand and solve problems flexibly, accurately, and efficiently. They learn to understand and visualize a situation and to use the tools and language of mathematics to reason, make connections to real-life situations, communicate, and justify solutions.
• Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship. In mathematics, students and educators solve problems with curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to take risks. They pose questions, make and test conjectures, and consider problems from different perspectives to generate new learning and apply it to novel situations.
• Self-Directed Learning. By reflecting on their own thinking and emotions, students, with the support of educators, can develop perseverance, resourcefulness, resilience, and a sense of self. In mathematics, they initiate new learning, monitor their thinking and their emotions when
10 Joan M. Kenney et al., Literacy Strategies for Improving Mathematics Instruction (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2005).
11 William G. Brozo and Sarah Crain, “Writing in Math: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach”, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 91, no. 7 (2017): 2.
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