Mathematics plays a key role in the development of a students’ numeracy which assists learning in other areas.
Merredin College aims to foster students’ mathematical interests, talents and creative development through an interesting and challenging curriculum in an environment that supports the pursuit of excellence. With a focus on assisting each student to do their best, we deliver regular help both in and out of classes for students at all stages.
Our program is designed to:
Encourage students to develop an interest and a liking for Mathematics
Provide a challenging curriculum that fosters appropriate academic and creative development
Illustrate to students the applications of Mathematics
Develop student initiative in problem solving
The Merredin College Mathematics program enables students to read, write and speak the language of Mathematics in a variety of contexts and forms so that they can understand and convey mathematical ideas, interpret text containing mathematical forms, and continue to use and learn Mathematics autonomously outside the school setting.
Primary Mathematics
All classes in Kindergarten – Year 2 have a dedicated Numeracy Block for explicitly teaching numeracy skills.
The curriculum focuses on number skills, measurement and geometry. Teachers use the ORIGO program to deliver the Maths curriculum which builds on students’ natural ability to develop understanding and number sense. It helps students avoid misconceptions and promotes confidence with efficient thinking strategies. Games and practical applications help to cement the concepts and skills.
Students from Pre-primary onward are subscribed to Mathletics which is accessed in class and available for home use.
We have a sequenced Mental Mathematics Skills’ program which is incorporated into daily lessons and students use the Targeting Maths book and iPad App to support their classroom program.
All classes in Year 3 – Year 6 have a dedicated Numeracy Block for explicitly teaching numeracy skills.
The curriculum focuses on number skills; measurement; chance and data; and geometry. Teachers use the ORIGO program to deliver the Maths curriculum which builds on students’ natural ability to develop understanding and number sense. It helps students avoid misconceptions and promotes confidence with efficient thinking strategies. Games and practical applications help to cement the concepts and skills.
Students are subscribed to Mathletics which is accessed in class and available for home use.
We have a sequenced Mental Mathematics Skills’ program which is incorporated into daily lessons and students use the Targeting Maths book and iPad App to support their classroom program.
Secondary Mathematics
Lower school students study the Western Australian Curriculum. All the Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Mathematics classes at Merredin College are streamed. We aim to cater for the individual needs of all students and streaming ensures most students in a class are working on similar tasks. This will provide students with more opportunities to work collaboratively and allow more whole class activities.
There are three content strands in the Western Australian Curriculum which are as follows:
Number and algebra
Measurement and geometry
Statistics and probability
There are also four proficiency strands which are as follows:
Understanding
Fluency
Problem solving
Reasoning
There are three Mathematics courses offered at Merredin College subject to sufficient numbers:
Each course consists of four units. Units 1 and Units 2 are taken in Year 11 and Units 3 and Units 4 are taken in Year 12.
The courses are differentiated, each focusing on a pathway that will meet the learning needs of a particular group of students.
ATAR Mathematics Applications
Recommended for students who have been successful in Year 10 (high C or better). This course has a different focus to Methods but still requires a strong commitment to demonstrate understanding and study. This is a prerequisite for many university courses and desirable by most.
GENERAL Mathematics Essentials
Recommended for students who are not university bound but have achieved at least Numeracy Category 2 for OLNA in Year 10.
This course has a heavy focus on solving problems in real contexts to prepare students for further training or employment.
FOUNDATION Mathematics
Only students who are in Numeracy Category 1 for the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) are recommended to enrol in this course; however students who are in Numeracy Category 2 for OLNA are also permitted to enrol.
This course builds student capacity to meet the numeracy standard for the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) which is defined as a pass in OLNA Numeracy (achievement of Category 3).
For more detailed information about each course, go to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) link on this page.