Mathematics

The Mathematics Department at Loretto College School offers courses that seek to develop skills in reasoning, problem solving, and analytical thinking. As students are required to take three math courses in order to graduate with their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, students will learn to transfer the skills that they develop in mathematics to other areas of their academic studies.

Teachers at Loretto College School work with students to develop the following five strands of mathematical proficiency:

(a) Conceptual Understanding – an understanding of mathematical concepts, operations, and relationships. Students learn new ideas by connecting to ideas they already know through reasoning, proving, and communication, allowing for true retention and helping to prevent common errors.

(b) Procedural Fluency – the carrying out of math procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately.

(c) Strategic Competence – the ability to successfully work through the steps of the problem-solving process: formulating, representing, and solving.

(d) Adaptive Reasoning – the capacity for logical thought during all parts of the math process, from computation to justification to reflection.

(e) Productive Disposition – the habitual inclination to see mathematics as a sensible discipline that is useful and worthwhile. Students are encouraged to see the beauty and joy in mathematics and to persevere through its challenges.1

In addition to the all of the work that is done in math courses across all grades, the department gives special attention to the preparation of grade nine students for the provincial EQAO test. Initiatives like Math Bootcamp, the After School Numeracy Program, and weekly math help clinics help students practise and refine their math skills to prepare to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired over the course of their grade nine year. [Please Note: All students who are taking a grade nine math course at the Academic or Applied levels are required to write this test at the end of the semester in which they are taking the math course.]

IMPORTANT: In the 2020-2021 academic year, EQAO is piloting an online, adaptive version of the EQAO test, consisting of 50 multiple choice questions that are tailored to a student's ability level. Field-testing dates will be announced when additional information is made available by the Ministry of Education and the TCDSB.

Loretto College is proud to offer math courses at all levels of study for all pathways. Offerings include Locally Developed, Applied, Academic, and STEAM courses (in grades 9 and 10), along with Workplace, College, and University courses (in grades 11 and 12).

Additionally, math experiences, including excursions and the writing of Waterloo math contests, enrich mathematics education at Loretto College.

Work Cited:

1 Kilpatrick, Jeremy, et al. Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics. National Academy Press, 2009