Mathematics
In our IB Middle Years Programme Mathematics courses, mathematics is an active, creative discipline. Students experience math as a way of thinking, modeling, and making sense of the world rather than as a set of isolated procedures. Grounded in Montessori principles and aligned with the IB framework, our program emphasizes exploration, collaboration, and real-world application.
Mathematics as Inquiry
Students learn mathematics through investigation and discovery. They are encouraged to ask questions, recognize patterns, test ideas, and revise their thinking. Concepts are introduced through meaningful problems that invite experimentation and multiple approaches. This inquiry driven environment builds confidence, persistence, and intellectual independence.
Learning Through Models and Materials
Mathematics is made concrete before it becomes abstract. Students work with diagrams, physical models, graphs, and representations to explore number, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability. By building and manipulating models, students develop a deep understanding of structure, scale, and relationships that supports long-term mathematical thinking.
Collaboration and Mathematical Communication
Mathematics is a social practice. Students regularly work together to solve problems, compare strategies, and explain their reasoning. They learn to communicate mathematical ideas clearly using appropriate language, symbols, and representations. Sharing thinking aloud and in writing strengthens both understanding and precision.
Mathematics as Performance
Students are expected to perform their understanding through presentation, defense of ideas, and real-time problem solving. Whether explaining a solution at the board, presenting a model, or responding to an unfamiliar challenge, students practice using mathematics fluently and confidently in front of others.
The Great Works
Each unit culminates in a substantial project known as a Great Work. These projects require students to integrate reasoning, creativity, accuracy, and reflection while applying mathematics to authentic contexts. Examples include:
Creating a Model, where students design and test mathematical representations
Financial Projecting, focused on budgeting, forecasting, and decision making
Floor Mapping, involving scale, measurement, and spatial reasoning
Architecture, where geometry, proportion, and structural logic come together
As students progress, these Great Works become more complex, requiring greater independence, abstraction, and accountability.
Creative Problem Solving
Students are encouraged to see mathematics as playful as well as powerful. Participation in the Math Kangaroo competition offers an additional opportunity to engage with creative, non-routine problems that reward flexible thinking, perseverance, and imagination rather than memorization.
Developing Confident Mathematical Thinkers
By the end of the MYP Mathematics program, students understand mathematics as a universal language and a practical tool for inquiry and action. They are prepared to approach complex problems with curiosity, clarity, and confidence, ready for the challenges of advanced study and real-world application.
