Mathematics

Introduction

At Ai Tong School, we believe that every student can learn and wants to learn. We aim to sustain academic excellence in Mathematics by providing opportunities for all students to learn Mathematics at a suitable pace and to foster students’ interest in Mathematics through a variety of pedagogy and learning experiences.

Teaching and learning centres on problem solving through the use of Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach to better engage the students and the “I-Do, We-Do, You-Do” strategy to provide scaffolding when teaching a new concept. In our efforts to promote the Growth Mindset as a school, our teachers will set tasks that stretch the students’ thinking and hone their reasoning skills through discussions and Math journals.

Both formative and summative assessments are used to provide feedback on students’ learning. Formative assessment includes the formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve students’ learning. They can be in the form of discussions, quizzes or mini-tests. Summative assessment includes the mid-year and end-of-year assessments.

Our key programmes aim to support and enrich our students’ learning. We hope to provide various platforms for the students to apply their learning in authentic situations as much as possible. For examples, through our Financial Literacy programme and the use of ICT tools.

Key Programmes

Learning Support Programme for Mathematics (LSM)

At the lower primary levels, the LSM focuses on building strong foundation and basic numeracy skills. It aims to provide focused learning support for students who need additional help in learning Mathematics concepts and skills. At the middle primary levels, the LSM+ programme provides support for students who need further coaching and revisiting of concepts learnt. The objectives of LSM and LSM+ are achieved through small group teaching.

E2K Mathematics Programme

The E2K Mathematics Programme is an enrichment programme supported by the Gifted Education Branch. This programme is offered to upper primary students who demonstrate interest and ability in Mathematics. It aims to develop mathematical reasoning skills and conceptual understanding in the students through an inquiry approach. Students in the programme are guided through the challenges through group work and facilitated class discussions. They will have the opportunities to collaborate with their peers and engage in mathematical thinking through resources such as games and puzzles. The programme helps to cultivate curiosity in the students and enhance their desire to learn. The learning experiences allow the students to develop the habits, attitudes and dispositions that mathematicians possess, as well as to gain important 21st century competencies such as critical and inventive thinking and effective communication skills.

Financial Literacy Programme

Financial Literacy is part of our Mathematics curriculum in Ai Tong School. We aim to teach the students a sense of financial awareness and responsibility by infusing financial literacy messages appropriately through activities and games in our Mathematics lessons.

Spatial Visualisation Skills Programme

The Spatial Visualisation Skills programme aims to enhance visual and spatial awareness of the students in the lower primary so as to deepen their interest and understanding in topics which requires these skills as they move up the levels. The programme, which is infused into our lower primary curriculum, is anchored on a series of tasks-based lessons designed by our teachers. The students will have the opportunity to build their spatial visualisation awareness and skills through a variety of learning experiences.

Enrichment Programme

Through our partnership with the School Alumni Association, Math Olympiad lessons and other enrichment courses are organised for P3 to P6 students who are keen to further enhance their learning in Mathematics and to prepare themselves for National Mathematics competitions.

Use of ICT

ICT lessons are infused into Mathematics lessons to provide meaningful learning for the students. They are suitable platforms for self-directed and collaborative learning. Through the use of Student Learning Space (SLS) and a variety of ICT tools (such as Microsoft Excel and iPad Apps) to analyse and process data, the students deepen their understanding of Mathematical concepts and apply them to real-life situations like creating graphs.

Math Games Day (Math X-cite!)

Students will have the opportunities to play games related to Mathematics during recess. The aim of this initiative is to bring about joyful learning of Mathematics through play and bonding with peers. We believe that the games will enhance the students’ spatial visualisation skills and also strengthen their mathematical reasoning and logical thinking. The games include Tangrams, Pentomino puzzles, Secret Codes and others.