Mathematics
“Mathematics can be discovered and created.”
Cater for Learner Diversity
S1-6 school-based teaching booklets with elements of CLIL (“Content and Language Integrated Learning”) and e-learning are adopted as the unified teaching resources to scaffold students’ learning and to promote self-directed learning.
- According to their mathematics abilities, all students in each class/group are divided into two sub-groups with differentiated assignments in the booklets.
- In designated junior forms, students will be streamed based on their performances in a previous examination in mathematics. Differentiated teaching strategies and supplementary materials are provided in different groups accordingly.
- In addition to teachers’ instructions and guidance, a reward system is set up to encourage students to solve problems systematically.
Mathematics Programmes for Gifted Students
Students who are relatively stronger in mathematics are invited to attend systematic and advanced training programmes to stretch their abilities. Interesting topics and challenging problems which require higher-order thinking skills are provided in the programmes.
In addition, some groups of students with higher mathematics abilities undergo an “accelerated learning programme”. For example, selected S3 elite students learn part of the Mathematics Extended Part Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics) before they start senior form. This implementation also helps students make informed decisions regarding their elective selections.
Authentic Mathematics
We have been collaborating with the EDB for several years to develop many “Seed” projects in different aspects. Past research topics include “Selfie” and “Rate of Body Temperature Loss”. Having a chance to learn how to apply their mathematics knowledge in daily life during the research process, students will become more interested in learning mathematics.
Game-based Learning
Through playing different interesting games such as origami and jigsaw puzzles, a group of students, or even a whole class of students, can learn mathematics more easily in a relaxing environment. The effectiveness of teaching is also promoted in the use of mathematics games in the sense that students master knowledge and skills. Some extended activities are conducted after class.
Consolidating the Role of Mathematics in STEM
In STEM education, the application of mathematics usually involves statistics and some common probability distributions. Therefore, we strive to put these elements into our current school-based mathematics curriculum. Besides, we also frequently collaborate with other disciplines such as Computer Literacy, Physics and Integrated Science to study how knowledge and skills learnt in Mathematics are instrumental in explorative learning in STEM. For example, when students analyse data obtained from research during science competitions, they can apply their extended knowledge from Mathematics to tackle problems encountered during STEM’s explorative learning.
Making Use of Online Question Bank (OQB) to Promote L&T
Assessment for learning: Having systematically analyzed students’ individual and group performances from several units obtained in the system, teachers can better the learning and teaching approaches in order to raise students’ future performance.
Assessment as learning: Through the system, students can be informed of their own strengths and weaknesses in different mathematics topics in order to explore the approach to raising their performance. OQB can also record the missed questions of individual students, who can then organize such questions for revision.
Off-campus mathematics competitions
In 2019, Kwok Tsang-in and Chan Ka-yan won the championship as well as “the Best Presentation Award” in the 1st Inter-School Fintech Application & Innovation Competition organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Mensa Society
Visit Abroad to Extend the Horizon
Mathematics Week and KTL STEM Hub
Reading scheme
Participation in EDB “Seed” Projects
Promoting Experiential Learning
- We have been collaborating with the EDB for several years to develop many “Seed” projects in different aspects.
- Our team members were also invited by the EDB as guest speakers in many seminars to share the results of our “Seed” Projects with the public.
Collaboration with Tertiary Institutes
- We usually nominate students to join workshops organized by tertiary institutions and organize visits to the mathematics departments of some local universities for students to learn more about the importance and application of mathematics in their further study as early as possible.
Promoting Staff Professional Dialogue
- Our team frequently organizes internal professional meetings and lesson studies to share different learning and teaching strategies, analyze data collected in different assessments, study students’ common mistakes, etc.
- In our discussion and mini-lesson study, we strive to promote our L&T effectiveness by identifying a topic, designing a lesson, observing how the lesson was conducted, and appraising the lesson.
Staff Development Day in True Light Family
- Our whole team talked about how our Mathematics Department has been promoting STEM education and e-learning in EDB “Seed Projects”.