How will Project Maths benefit us as students?

bb1234567

Will the subject become easier in both junior cert and leaving? How will the subject be taught differently? I really have no clue as to what the project involves...anyone care to enlighten me?:)

Daniel S

It won't. Glad I'm doing the LC this year. If I have to repeat.... OMFG!:eek:

Chuchoter

Not easier just different. Its much more wordy than before.

Daniel S

It's making it harder imo (and the other teachers opinions in the school).

It's all based around:

1. Statistics and Probability
2. Geometry and Trigonometry
3. Number
4. Algebra
5. Functions

ride-the-spiral

IMO it makes it harder by reducing your options. I would hate the thought of having to do probability, whereas other people in my class love probability over trigonometry for example.

rainbowtrout

bb1234567 wrote: »

Will the subject become easier in both junior cert and leaving? How will the subject be taught differently? I really have no clue as to what the project involves...anyone care to enlighten me?:)

There is no project, it's just the new name of the course.

bb1234567

oh okay thank you

jumpguy

ride-the-spiral wrote: »

IMO it makes it harder by reducing your options. I would hate the thought of having to do probability, whereas other people in my class love probability over trigonometry for example.

I think it's reducing the amount of stuff you have to cover so that what you actually do cover, you cover well. The HL maths course atm is an absolute behemoth. It also means teachers have to know less and the subject can, hopefully, be thought better, which shouldn't matter but sadly it's reality.

whadabouchasir

bb1234567 wrote: »

Will the subject become easier in both junior cert and leaving? How will the subject be taught differently?

I haven't seen the JC one but the LC one definitely looks easier,less to cover and shorter answers. If you don't think so then take a look at some of the papers from the early 90's.

feelgoodinc27

Is there any calculus? Its a difficult enough topic but very important for science/engineering.

GV_NRG

i hear its gearing towards a more real world application than the old course?

partyatmygaff

feelgoodinc27 wrote: »

Is there any calculus? Its a difficult enough topic but very important for science/engineering.

I believe so. There must be anyway. It's one of the more useful topics of LC maths.

The Shtig

I'm repeating next year and my teacher gave me some project math exam papers so i could see what it's like.

It doesn't look more difficult but I don't like how you have to answer all the questions and only get a choice of two out of three in section C. I prefare the current course but that's probably due to me being more familiar with it.

I definately wouldn't worry about it.

amen

The HL maths course atm is an absolute behemoth

The HL course was already dumbed down in the mid 90s.

You should see what it was like in the late 80s early 90s.

I did my leaving in 1990 HL maths and it was long and hard.

Did Applied Physics in University and the first year maths was the leaving cert course repeated. Second year maths though was horrible.

I don't think I would like to be going to University if the HL course was easier.

jumpguy

amen wrote: »

The HL course was already dumbed down in the mid 90s.

You should see what it was like in the late 80s early 90s.

I did my leaving in 1990 HL maths and it was long and hard.

Did Applied Physics in University and the first year maths was the leaving cert course repeated. Second year maths though was horrible.

I don't think I would like to be going to University if the HL course was easier.

I'm merely stating why it was brought in, I don't agree with it. If Irish students are finding maths difficult, there's problems with how maths is thought, and making it easier is only a superficial fix. However, I don't know if it's necessarily easier...I wouldn't be able to tell that fairly unless I did more research into it. It certainly is shorter though.

Superbus

I'm in 5th Year, and am finding the PM side of the course pretty difficult. It's being phased in, so we've only done trigonometry so far, but the thought process for it is totally different from what I'm used to at JC.

Sucks being a guinea pig. Current 1st Years will have the easiest Leaving Cert Maths course ever though, having being taught it through the JC course.

coffeelover

Ya I absolutly hate the course I thought it would be waaay easier!

Aoifums

Superbus wrote: »

I'm in 5th Year, and am finding the PM side of the course pretty difficult. It's being phased in, so we've only done trigonometry so far, but the thought process for it is totally different from what I'm used to at JC.

Sucks being a guinea pig. Current 1st Years will have the easiest Leaving Cert Maths course ever though, having being taught it through the JC course.

You're not the guinea pigs. The twenty something schools doing PM last year were. I would have hated to be them. No book, very little notes and no exam papers to go on.

Aoifey!

Aoifums wrote: »

You're not the guinea pigs. The twenty something schools doing PM last year were. I would have hated to be them. No book, very little notes and no exam papers to go on.

On the plus side though, they were marked fairly easy for thoses schools last year. A friend of mine was doing it last year in a school in Dublin, he thought he'd done horribly because of all the reasons you've given, but ended up not doing too bad.

J_E

After having done a maths aptitude test of sorts today, I've realised just how much of the HL Maths course is pointless and not practical for many things. I was struggling trying to remember what stuff like medians and ranges were! My head was so full of greek letters and formulas. Hopefully Project Maths will encourage a more practical application of Maths.

Aoifums

Aoifey! wrote: »

On the plus side though, they were marked fairly easy for thoses schools last year. A friend of mine was doing it last year in a school in Dublin, he thought he'd done horribly because of all the reasons you've given, but ended up not doing too bad.

That's not too bad. I just can't imagine going into an exam without knowing exactly how my exam will be marked and what style questions are coming up.

Dave0301

'Project Maths aims to provide for an enhanced student learning experience and greater levels of achievement for all. Much greater emphasis will be placed on student understanding of mathematical concepts, with increased use of contexts and applications that will enable students to relate mathematics to everyday experience.

The initiative will also focus on developing students’ problem-solving skills. Assessment will reflect the different emphasis on understanding and skills in the teaching and learning of mathematics.'

From Project Maths http://projectmaths.ie/overview/

A big complaint about the leaving cert and maths in general in this country is that it leaves students at a disadvantage when moving on to 3rd level education. Poor problem solving skills and logic. Project Maths is meant to be the solution.

Superbus

Aoifums wrote: »

You're not the guinea pigs. The twenty something schools doing PM last year were. I would have hated to be them. No book, very little notes and no exam papers to go on.

We still have pretty much no exam papers.

skyscraperblue

I'm in Fifth Year too and doing a Project Maths paper 2. I think people are finding it harder than they expected because although some stuff has changed, it's still maths, and still difficult, because that's just how maths is.

Tbh the only major differences that our teacher can find to point out are:
- A lot more of the 'explain why' type answers in geometry questions (explain why the triangles are similar etc. etc.)
- Vectors are gone completely.
- Some general 'housekeeping' stuff - points are now named with capital letters etc.
- Choice is basically eliminated from the paper.

Barely having any past papers that can realistically show us what to expect is EXTREMELY frustrating though. We still go over normal past papers in my class but we have no idea whether that's going to be beneficial at all, the exam could turn out to be anything.

Schonie

Oh I hate PM:( Especially the way the questions are asked. I'm used to the 'normal' maths questions and this is like totally new and horrible lol

MariaBlaah

I'm in one of the 24 pilot schools.. In leaving cert now. I dropped down to pass earlier in the year. I would have been doing pass from the start of 5th year but my parents and my principal forced me into doing higher - even though I was failing every test. That shouldnt disude anyone from doing higher, its just that I'm useless at the subject. Its much more based on practicality. We do proper financial maths and there's still the three calculus questions - they're common to what's on the old course so we can use the old exam papers for them. There is a lot of why? but that makes it easier, I think anyway. It means you actually have to understand whats going on, not just learning off applications. ATM there's 13 doing honours in my school (there was 25 - 30 at the start of 5th year).. Which is way down on last year when there was about 20, but I think that's because we are an extremely unmotivated year :P so over all it isn't really that bad (except for probability and patterns but that's be cause I HATE it.. )

coffeelover

I'm in Fifth Year too and doing a Project Maths paper 2. I think people are finding it harder than they expected because although some stuff has changed, it's still maths, and still difficult, because that's just how maths is.

This is soo true. I thought it would be easier but I still find it really hard

mathsman

It's easier for incompetent teachers:

https://projectdumbdownmaths.wordpress.com

deanswift

bb1234567 wrote: »

Will the subject become easier in both junior cert and leaving? How will the subject be taught differently? I really have no clue as to what the project involves...anyone care to enlighten me?:)

Project maths will benefit no one and I teach it because I have to follow the curriculum, basically it was introduced by Ms Coughlin ex TD ex minister of education!!

lauratkd

deanswift wrote: »

Project maths will benefit no one and I teach it because I have to follow the curriculum, basically it was introduced by Ms Coughlin ex TD ex minister of education!!

I am teaching Project Maths and so far my 5th years have a much better understanding of statistics than they would ever had had coming out of Junior Cert or even in Ord level Leaving Cert. THey are understanding the purpose of actually calculating figures and what they actually mean. They themselves have said it makes much more sense to learn about why they're using particular methods than just applying formula. I really do think it will benefit students in the long run. Teachers just don't want to change!!
Don't get me wrong though, I have plenty of problems with it but they are mainly on information being supplied by the NCCA and DES.

ciarashauna

lauratkd wrote: »

Don't get me wrong though, I have plenty of problems with it but they are mainly on information being supplied by the NCCA and DES.

I'm in 6th year in a pilot school & I have to agree with you. The idea of Project Maths is actually good and it will be helpful in the long run. The problem most of us have is the fact we are getting nowhere near enough resources from the project maths team. Only last week did we get any proper handouts to learn from with questions to try.