The new Alpha Mathematics Teachers Resource

1. The new Alpha Mathematics Teachers Resource Published by Pearson

2. What is in the Teachers Resource (1)? • Every page from both Alpha Mathematics and the Alpha Maths Workbook • Alpha text pages optimised for landscape viewing on whiteboards • Text dynamically linked to homework and vice-versa WBTB • Instant links to answers ANS • Instant links to spreadsheets SS • Instant links to PowerPoint presentations and CAS activities PP CAS

3. What is in the Teachers Resource (2)? Blackline masters BBLM • You probably don’t want students writing in the textbook! • These include items like isometric paper, images to be reflected/rotated/enlarged, sets of axes and so on. • Some blackline masters, if small, are repeated on a page to save copying, or to allow students several attempts • Larger diagrams for when measuring is involved

4. What is in the Teachers Resource (3)? Supplementary worksheets SW • There are about 70 extra worksheets to augment the Exercises in the Textbook. • These are all full-page, write-on style. • The material is skills-based: drill and repetition • Answers are supplied separately • You choose how to use them – additional practice for students, material for fast-finishers, as targeted homework etc.

5. What is in the Teachers Resource (4)? A Key Competencies and Values advice sheet • Thinking – the investigations and puzzles in the Pearson texts cover this one • Using Language, Symbols and Text – all our Maths books encourage this key competency • Managing Self – this can be covered by using homework books, or a time limit for class work. • Relating to Others – group work, ‘co-operative activities’ covers this one Extensive advice in the Alpha TR – indicated by a specialKCbutton, every time a KC opportunity comes up.

6. What is in the Teachers Resource ? (5) Author comments • Tips, advice, explanations • Cross-curricular references CC • Bi-cultural references BC Animations Specially commissioned for the Alpha TR

7. Alpha Mathematics (2nd Edition) What’s new? Published by Pearson

8. Features of the new edition of AlphaMathematics (1) • In full colour • All content reviewed and updated • Older material removed • New material added

9. Features of the new edition (2)

10. Features of the new edition (3) • Enlargement now included (at an introductory level) so as not to overlap too much with Enlargement in Beta Mathematics:

11. Features of the new edition (4a) • New section on charts included – all in New Zealand contexts

12. Features of the new edition (4b) • New section on charts included – all in New Zealand contexts

13. Features of the new edition (5a) • New section on statistical literacy

14. Features of the new edition (5b) • New section on statistical literacy

15. Features of the new edition (6a) • New section on the statistical enquiry cycle

16. Features of the new edition (6b) • New section on the statistical enquiry cycle

17. Features of the new edition (7a) • New section on informal inference

18. Features of the new edition (7b) • New section on informal inference

19. Features of the new edition (8) • New section on calculating probability, using equally likely outcomes and simple fractions

20. Features of the new edition (9a) • First chapter is now on numeracy

21. Features of the new edition (9b) Multiplicative strategies are covered directly: • Doubling and halving – e.g. calculate 68 x 50 • Changing the order: e.g. calculate 25 x 39 x 4 • Recognising when numbers occur twice within an expression: e.g. 7 x 56 + 3 x 56 Other strategies may not be multiplicative: • Writing 9 as 10 – 1 sometimes – eg. Calculate 67 + 9 Answer: 67 + 9 is the same as 67 + 10 – 1. Appropriate for Level 4? More for level 2/3

22. Features of the new edition (9c) • Other chapters e.g. Fractions have a numeracy flavour’

23. Features of the new edition (9d) Some numeracy considerations • The numeracy project was developed as an initiative for primary and intermediate schools as well as junior secondary • Should we be able to assume students taking a level 4 Maths course are numerate, to some extent? • Developing numeracy skills and understanding is also often a teaching point, part of good classroom practice – e.g. I travel 7 km east, then 4 km south; how far is this if I travel directly? Is 53 km a sensible answer?

24. Features of the new edition (10) • Deletions: • Parallel lines (now Level 5) • Area and circumference (now Level 5) • Spreadsheet chapter (most teachers said it should go) – replaced by Numeracy chapter • Trimmed • ‘Old-style’ statistics

25. Features of the new edition (11) • Easier to use, colour-coded • Helpful tags for navigation (e.g. orange = Algebra)

26. Features of the new edition (12) • Technology • Icons

27. Alpha Mathematics Workbook

28. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (1) • New publication • Expanded to 144 pages (previous edition had 96 (teachers asked for more) • Fully linked to main text (easy to set assignments or extra work) • Brief worked examples

29. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (2) • Generous write-on space (increased) • Second colour for better display • All pages perforated • Each sheet is a separate ‘assignment’ so these can be handed in if required

30. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (3) Every page features the second colour (teal) Investigations throughout, as required to meet the Key Competency of ‘Thinking’

31. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (4) Each section quotes the relevant MiNZC section. Each page can be handed in separately, if required

32. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (5) • Answers are in the back by popular demand – we are also doing this in the Beta MathematicsWorkbook. • The answers can be removed because all the pages are perforated. Just like they could be removed in the current Alpha Maths Homework Book – but in there they are in the middle of the book.

33. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (6a) Completely overhauled and revised with new material. One of these topics is ‘charts’ – now specifically mentioned. BTW, What is a chart?

34. Alpha Mathematics Workbook (6b) More charts – this one is ‘cross-curricular’ with Science, and involves measurement (weight, length etc).

35. Alpha Mathematics Student CD Why bundled with the Workbook? • Each student gets one each year • No collection problems • More easily updated each year • Designed to be used at home

36. Features of the Student CD • PowerPoint demonstrations of worked examples (animated by Stuart Laird) • LiveMathTM computer algebra • All spreadsheets from text included • All data sets from text and homework book included • Links to internet websites

37. Gamma Mathematics (3rd Edition) – a new structure – to fit the curriculum and 13 Achievement Standards • There are 44 credits available at Level 1, but the expectation is that students may/might/will/could only be assessed on about 24 • Schools will have flexibility to decide on courses – in particular a subset of the 13 Achievement Standards that meets the needs of their students. • We are proposing a ‘two-book’ solution to offer a ‘best fit’ to schools

38. Gamma Mathematics – the two book solution Your comments/feedback welcome!

39. Why not one book? • Expense – it would be substantially longer than the current 600 page Gamma 2nd Edition, or would cover each AS ‘once-over lightly’. The intention of the new AS approach is to cover material in more depth, not less. This meets long-standing teacher concerns that there hasn’t been enough time to lock in student understanding. • Schools would not want to buy textbooks where students only use about half; similarly with workbooks

40. Gamma Maths – an overview • Contains all the Externally Assessed Achievement Standards, plus a ‘Common Assessment Task’ for AS 1.2 (Apply Algebraic Methods) • Contains the maths needed as pre-requisites for Year 12 Maths • Is designed to allow some choice for schools – it contains 9 Achievement Standards altogether, so doesn’t dictate a course. Schools may not cover both 1.10 & 1.11 for example, but both are included to allow a choice

41. Gamma Maths Fundamentals – an overview • Focuses on Internally Assessed Achievement Standards • Could be used with accelerate students in Year 10 • For students who may take two years to do NCEA Level 1 it provides an ideal course for the first year. • In both cases above it offers a worthwhile integrated course – at Level 6 of the MiNZC curriculum

42. The overlap – an explanation • Number is included in both books to make each one of ‘stand alone’ value. • Statistics is included in both books – given the emphasis from the Ministry on its importance. A choice between 1.10 (Multivariate data) and 1.11 (Bivariate data) is not dictated by the Gamma text(s).

43. The names of the two books • We will be retaining ‘Gamma’ as part of the name of both books to retain brand recognition. • The names mentioned today are ‘working’ titles, not final ones. • Possibilities include ‘Gamma Plus’, ‘Gamma Extra’, ‘Gamma 1 & 2, ‘Gamma A & B’, ‘Gamma Introductory’, ‘Gamma Red & Gamma Blue’, ‘Gamma Foundations’, Gamma Preliminary’, etc. • What do you think? Please let us know!

44. Future directions • One day delivery of textbooks may well be electronic. We already offer Alpha Mathematics as an electronic textbook – one or two schools at present plan using it in this form. This number will grow. • We envisage that the course could eventually be delivered in ‘modules’, so that schools could compile their own learning programmes.

45. The End