Mathematics     563-100 / 563-212

The focus is on the attainment of three mathematical competencies:
• To solve situational problems
• To reason mathematically
• To communicate mathematically

By the end of Secondary Cycle 1, students have studied concepts and processes in the following branches of mathematics:
• In arithmetic, students apply their understanding of numbers and operations where they use numbers written as decimals or fractions in comparing or estimating values, doing mental or written computation, and following the order of operations. They estimate the order of magnitude of a result, convert numbers written in fractional and decimal notation, apply divisibility criteria, and represent situations on a number line or in a Cartesian plane
• In algebra, students simplify and multiply algebraic expressions, solve equations with one unknown and model situations by describing them algebraically. They apply certain algebraic procedures to show that a conjecture is true, by solving equations and applying formulas. They interpret algebraic expressions and associate them with different types of representations.
• In probability, students consider possibilities and chance as parameters. They study the relationships between two simple events and use different diagrams to derive rules and connections based on the properties of arithmetic operations. They verify conjectures through experiments, simulations, and statistical analysis of data.
• In statistics, students plan ways of collecting data and conducting surveys. They differentiate between the qualitative and quantitative aspects of data. They organize the data and choose the most appropriate way of displaying, interpreting and formulating conclusions based on a graphical method to process the data.
• In geometry, students learn to recognize the characteristics of common figures and perform operations on plane figures by means of geometric transformations. They compare and calculate angles, lengths and areas, form nets for solids and draw them. They learn the definitions and properties of the figures they use to solve problems involving simple deductions.

Cultural, Social & Technical Program Content & Curriculum Map

Teaching & Learning Strategies for the Cultural, Social & Technical Option

The Cultural, Social and Technical option is aimed at helping students to develop mathematical literacy so that they can appreciate the connections between mathematics and the other aspects of culture as well as its contribution to the development of society. This option provides students with tools that help them to increase their capacity for analysis, to consider different possibilities, to make informed decisions, to support their reasoning, and to take a position with respect to various issues. It allows them to build on their basic education and to continue to develop their sense of citizenship. It helps them integrate into society and prepares them for higher education in different fields or for various types of vocational and technical training.  Emphasis is placed on consolidating and integrating knowledge in a variety of activities: hands-on activities, exploration activities, simulations, games, research, presentations, debates, analysis of newspaper articles and advertising, meetings with resource persons, field trips in the city and the region, visits to museums, interpretation centers or companies, and so on.

Students are generally required to carry out concrete and practical activities. Nevertheless, switching from the concrete to the abstract and using mathematical objects in concrete situations will help students to see their usefulness and encourage them to view various situations mathematically. Students will also use technology to represent or process large amounts of data and to make tedious calculations easier.

Students are encouraged to look at the world from a critical, ethical and aesthetic point of view. They examine the social, economic, artistic, technical or, on occasion, scientific situations that they will encounter in their personal and working lives. For instance,

– Health and well-being: living habits, nutrition, how the body works, health care, physical activity and sports

– Consumer rights and responsibilities: personal finances, constraints related to production, costs related to consumption, design, advertising

– Environmental awareness: planning (organization, plan, structure), resource management, biodiversity, pollution, population growth or decline

– Career planning and entrepreneurship: design, planning, organization, market studies

– Media literacy: presentation of information, comparison of presentations on the same topic, appreciation or creation of different works of art and media images

– Citizenship and community life: social choices (voting procedures), equity and justice, cultural diversity, opinion polls, etc.