Brunswick South offers a hands-on, activity-based daily mathematics program that gives students the skills and knowledge they need to deal confidently with mathematics in daily life. We take care to relate mathematics to real-world, practical issues and scenarios, so that students can understand the relevance of their studies and link 'abstract' mathematical ideas to familiar experiences.  We provide them with challenging tasks that stimulate their creative and mathematical problem solving skills and allow them to explore and demonstrate their understanding of each topic. Above all, we make our lessons fun, and use games, puzzles, construction, drawings, computer activities, and other hands-on tasks to illustrate and reinforce essential mathematics concepts and methods.

Mathematics is a sequential program that increases in complexity in each year. The total maths program covers five key areas: Number; Space; Measurement, Chance and Data; Working Mathematically, and Structure. The emphasis on each part of the program changes with students' increasing confidence and ability. For example, developing an understanding of number facts and counting patterns is a key part of the early years program. Once these fundamental skills are mastered, students begin working with larger numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages and learn how to calculate and manipulate numbers through addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Students also learn to use calculators and computers when checking and solving more complex problems. Similarly, in the early years, students learn about basic shapes and directions, and how to make simple charts showing information (eg, the kinds of pets owned by children in the class). Older students use these skills to draw and follow maps, reduce or enlarge objects to scale, design and construct three-dimensional objects and plot graphs by hand and on the computer.

Our students get a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction from learning new maths skills and methods. We encourage them to further develop their abilities through Take Home Maths activities to share with their families, peer teaching across grades, and participation in our Family Maths Nights.