One of the major goals of the mathematics educators at Oak Hill is to involve students in mathematical processing. In pursuit of this goal, the Oak Hill faculty utilizes a variety of instructional techniques designed to practice problem solving and provide opportunities that foster creativity and critical thinking.
Students work individually and/or in cooperative groups to master specific mathematical skills and solve problems. In addition to regular classroom presentations, problem-solving activities, games, and manipulative materials are used to supplement instruction and to encourage participatory involvement in mathematical processes. There is a constant emphasis upon the linking of existing knowledge with new learning. This linkage helps students make connections within their own experience thereby making learning more personal.
Teachers are encouraged to develop mathematics centers where children may go to practice and experiment with numbers. Computers are available in every classroom, and each child is required to acquire and use a personal calculator after he/she has demonstrated proficiency of basic mathematical facts. The classroom experience is reinforced and enriched in the computer lab where students are challenged to put their mathematical skills to work.
Each mathematics teacher strives to create a non-threatening learning environment by encouraging students to raise questions and formulate ideas while supporting their ideas with mathematical reasoning. Students are taught that there may be more than one answer to a problem, and that there are definite connections to previously learned concepts.
Children at all grade levels advance at a guided pace, always building upon their own prior knowledge base. Groups are flexible, and a child may move from one to another as his/her proficiency demands. Opportunities for remediation and enrichment are provided within each grade level. An accelerated mathematics opportunity is available for qualified students at the fifth and sixth grade levels. In addition Oak Hill sponsors a mathematics team for fifth and sixth grade students and participates in Project MEGSS, a special program for gifted mathematics students.
