Torch - Fall 2017

A Grade 5 math class.

mathematics is apparent in the choices our graduating students make,” Shum explains. “More than 90 per cent of our senior students take Grade 12 math courses and, among those, 85 per cent are taking more than two Grade 12 math courses, with about 40 per cent choosing to do so at the Advanced Placement (AP) level. From the Junior School straight through to Grade 12, our girls understand that mathematical thinking enhances their capacity to do so,” he says. “We live in an era of ‘truthiness,’ where what a person ‘feels’ to be true is often enough for them to build an argument, philosophy or ideology,” says Shum. “It’s an anti-fact stance. But facts matter, as does objective and perspective when assessing them. Mathematics works with other disciplines

paper towels are priced differently. She had to take into account numbers of sheets and lengths of rolls, the use of new or recycled fibres and degrees of absorbency. Yes, absorbency tests were conducted! She came up with a tremendous amount of data to study and synthesize. Wherever possible, math teachers call on students’ knowledge and skills from their other subjects, such as science with this example, but also art, music, geography, just about anything. The world is an interconnected place, and math is an interconnected field.” It’s evident that the value of math at Havergal extends beyond its immediate skill set or application. Math thinking plays an important role in all aspects of life. “The impact of having a robust understanding of

evaluate loan applicants and then work through the details of capital investment, interest rates and repayment schedules. In both grades, students are deepening their understanding of math concepts while learning a lot about the process of informed decision-making and the world around them. “We work together as a department to encourage students to apply mathematical lenses through which they can analyze and mathematics as a language with which to represent the world around them. Math connects fact to social meaning,” Shum says. “In Grade 9, every student designs her own research question that requires collecting and analyzing data mathematically. One student, for example, wanted to know why

18  HAVERGAL COLLEGE