You may be aware of the renewed focus on numeracy and literacy in the NZ education system. Numeracy is the knowledge and skills that students need in order to use mathematics in a wide range of situations.

At EOHS we are integrating numeracy and literacy in all subject areas.

In the Mathematics department we are doing this by solving problems in context. Literacy comes in when you have to read and understand the mathematical word problem (the problem in context). Numeracy kicks in when you use your knowledge and skill to solve the problem and give the answer in context, (to show you understand the answer you’ve given).

An example is the 'plan a holiday’ project given out earlier this week in the year 9/10 “Flying away with Maths” module. The task was to figure out the different costs for an overseas holiday (flying away) including flights, accommodation, activities, food, drink etc and try to keep to a budget of $6000. Also an itinerary needed to be written and all the information set out in a clear and logical manner.

Out of school time you could practise numeracy by working with measurements, quantities and ratios when baking or looking at best buy and percentage discounts when shopping.

In the senior classes we have hit the ground running and are full steam ahead with our NCEA courses. The year 12’s and 13’s are finding optimal solutions to real life problems. In year 11 the students are split into 2 groups. One is more practical based and the other includes more involved topics like trigonometry and algebra.

The year 7/8 students have recently completed a maths test. The results were used to divide the students into 3 classes depending on their level of expertise. Students who find maths difficult have been placed in a smaller class where they can get a greater degree of individual support and have a more hands on approach to their learning. This also allows them to work at a pace that is more manageable so they can take the time needed to build their core skills and knowledge.

M.Wilson 

HOD Mathematics