Math and MYP

1. Math and MYP

2. Mathematics and MYP • Mathematics in the Middle Years Programme aims to provide students with an appreciation of the usefulness, power and beauty of the subject. • One aspect of this is the awareness that mathematics is a universal language with diverse applications. The Middle Years Programme promotes an understanding of how cultural, societal and historical influences from a variety of cultures have shaped mathematical thought. • Aims and objectives include: • understanding mathematical reasoning and processes • The ability to apply mathematics and to evaluate the significance of results • the ability to develop strategies for problems in which solutions are not obvious • the acquisition of mathematical intuition.

3. How is the MYP Curriculum different? • Concept focused learning • Common units with common assessments • Summative Assessments determine grade • We evaluate students based on what they learned, what they have achieved, not what they didn’t do, nor how nice they are or how hard they tried.

4. Unit Planning for Subject Areas: what do I include? Areas of Interaction: Approaches to Learning, Community and Service, Human Ingenuity, Environments, Health and Social Education Each unit is taught through an area of interaction. One area of interaction is the focus along with Approaches to Learning which will be used in all units Student Learning Expectations: Each Area of Interaction has specific Student Learning Expectations There are specific questions outlined in each of the different subject guides to assist you. A real life concept Unit Question not specific to the subject related to the summative assessment Common Formative and Summative Assessments

5. How do I do grading in MYP? • MKP Grades: • Based on a summative assessment after students have acquired the MYP concepts and skills (already aligned with NYS learning standards and curriculum) through formative assessments • Based on 2 criteria at a time, with the exception of Technology • Based on what students know, not what they do not know

6. How does MYP change the way we plan our lessons? • All subjects must develop a curriculum which includes 4-6 week uniform units composed of formative assessments that culminate in a summative assessment and are aligned with state requirements.. • Teachers should be involved in the reflecting and revising of units during their planning time. • Teachers must work together and not as independent workers.

7. Mathematics Prescribed Minimums

8. Criterion AKnowledge & Understanding • Assessment tools for this criterion are quizzes and tests; “traditional” assessment tools we all use. • To allow students to attain scores of 9 or 10, you must include items on an assessment that require the student to extend his/her learning of the concepts in the unit. • To meet assessment requirements, these type of questions can be named “Unfamiliar situations”. Typically these are your bonus questions on a test.

9. Criterion BApplication & Reasoning • Think of this as conducting an INVESTIGATION of mathematical concepts. • These may occur more naturally during a lesson rather than at the end. Lead in for a unit. • A mathematical investigation might require students to: • develop an algorithm from conducting an experiment • write geometric proofs: determining the number of degrees in a triangle and other polygons; deriving the Pythagorean Theorem • write formulas/rules: area formula of a trapezoid

10. Criterion C:Communication • This criterion requires the student to SHOW us what they know and how they used it. (Showing each step in solving an equation; proper use of mathematical symbols) • How do we communicate our knowledge of mathematics? We write about it. Students must be able to explain their thinking and the processes they used to arrive at a solution or conclusion. • This criterion can be incorporated on nearly everything we do in a math class: homework, investigations/labs, quizzes/tests.

11. Criterion D:Reflection & Evaluation • A natural connection to the Approaches to Learning: Student reflects on his/her learning from a unit of work. • This criterion naturally fits with criterion B especially if used as part of an investigation/lab. Students should use and discuss multiple approaches for arriving at the same conclusion/result/solution. • Example: During a study of the Pythagorean Theorem, have students “discover” the meaning of a2 + b2 = c2 in a math lab. Once they’ve arrived at the equation, share with the class one or two of the many proofs of the Theorem. Have them compare and contrast these proofs, or defend the use of one over another.

12. Recommended Criterion Pairing for MYP Assessments Criterion A & C • A traditional homework assignment, quiz or test that includes items that require the student to show the “work” necessary to arrive at a solution, as well as items requiring the student to explain in detail how the solution was derived. Criterion B & C • A mathematical lab/investigation done in class or as an assignment/project in which the student arrives at a conclusion using the results of the lab/investigation, then writes an explanation about how he/she arrived at the conclusion.

15. What is the connection between the criterion levels and the final grade? A criterion level only gives a partial assessment of humanities. For example, a level for criterion A only shows the student’s achievement in “knowledge”, and not how the student can apply that knowledge or how that knowledge has contributed to skill development in humanities. To work out a student’s final grade, a teacher must have taken into account levels from all of the criteria, giving a balanced final result. In summary, the final grade is an overall view of the student’s achievement in the subject; the criterion levels show the student’s achievement in components of the subject. For example: