Math

Mission

The mission of the Bangor Area School District community in the area of mathematics is to provide student centered environments that encourage informed risk-taking, provide opportunities for exploration and discovery, and allow for diverse learning styles using mathematics in daily life. The learning environment will provide opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary to be mathematical problem solvers and lifelong learners who have the confidence to assume roles as self-sufficient and responsible citizens in the 21st century.

Beliefs

• All children must be able to draw upon past experiences, make connections to other disciplines, and apply skills to real-life situations.
• All children must be able to develop and ask questions using higher order thinking skills.
• All children must be able to communicate their thinking using appropriate mathematical language in both written and verbal forms, including visual, i.e. model drawing.
• All children must be able to use the tools of mathematics (e.g., computers, calculators, measurement tools) to solve real-life problems.
• All children must be able to recognize that any problem may have numerous approaches and solutions.

Essential Student Learning Goals

1. We expect our students to acquire and demonstrate a broad base of knowledge and skills as a foundation for continued learning.
2. We expect our students to be: problem solvers, lifelong learners, self-sufficient and responsible citizens, complex thinkers, risk-takers, effective communicators, collaborative workers, and active listeners.

The following objectives are whole department objectives. Every math class in the high school strive to achieve the following:

• To provide a broad base of knowledge and skills as a foundation for continued learning.
• To enable students to become problem solvers, lifelong learners, self-sufficient and responsible citizens, complex thinkers, risk-takers, effective communicators, collaborative workers, and active listeners.
• To encourage students to draw upon past experiences, make connections to other disciplines, and apply skills to real-life situations.
• To develop in students the ability to ask questions using higher order thinking skills and recognize that any problem may have numerous approaches and solutions.
• To enable students to communicate their thinking using appropriate mathematical language in both written and verbal forms, including visual, i.e. model drawing.
• To provide the tools of mathematics (e.g., computers, calculators, measurement tools) for students to solve real-life problems.
• To develop in students the ability to apply deductive and inductive reasoning to the development of proofs and problem solving