Taupo Intermediate School offers a comprehensive mathematics programme which covers all three strands of the New Zealand Mathematics Curriculum; number and algebra, geometry and measurement, and statistics. Maths is taught based on students individual needs and goals.
TIS students are offered a number of opportunities as part of our mathematics programme, such as a statistical investigation in term 2, team problem-solving competitions in term 2 and 3, and Mathsmatters in term 3. All students have the opportunity to compete in our interclass math problem-solving competition, where classes contend for the year 7 and 8 shields. Those students who wish to compete at a regional level are tested and carefully selected in order to form our elite problem-solving teams. These teams then take part in several training sessions with the year 7 and year 8 CWAA teachers to ready themselves for events such as Mathletics, BayMaths, and our very own Mathsmatters.
As well as the team problem solving, our Mathsmatters event offers a number of other competitions for students to take part in, including the Mathsmatters publicity poster and mathematical construction/mobile competitions. We also offer a stained-glass window design competition for our visiting year 5 and 6 students whom we host during competition week.
Having laptops in the class allows students to follow up their mathematics learning with the use of interactive websites. Students and teachers can access a range of numeracy learning experiences online including (but are not limited to):
• Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/
• Study ladder https://www.studyladder.co.nz/
• E-ako Maths https://e-ako.nzmaths.co.nz/
• Mathletics http://nz.mathletics.com/home
• Banqer https://www.banqer.co/
Our mathematics classroom programme aims to help students to develop:
- a belief in the value of mathematics and its usefulness to them, to nurture confidence in their own mathematical ability, to foster a sense of personal achievement, and to encourage a continuing and creative interest in mathematics;
- the skills, concepts, understandings, and attitudes which will enable them to cope confidently with the mathematics of everyday life;
- a variety of approaches to solving problems involving mathematics, and develop the ability to think and reason logically;
- mathematical and statistical literacy skills needed in a society which is technologically orientated and information rich;
- mathematical tools, skills, understandings, and attitudes that they will require in the workforce