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IBDP Deep-dive:
Deconstructing the Math AA Course

April 22, 2023
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Tony Halsey, Dr. Edward Downes, Adrian Sparrow and Kevin Frederick
2 min read

There was a time when someone bought 80 watermelons in a math problem and no one questioned why! Or a boy ate 19 out of the 20 chocolates and no one thought of stopping him! But not anymore. The DP math: analysis and approaches (AA) course goes above and beyond just finding the ‘x’ 😉. Real-world applications, mathematical modelling, and integration of graphing calculators and mathematical software are just a few of the skills students develop during the course.

As math AA educators, you are responsible for challenging students’ mathematical understanding, problem-solving skills, and logical reasoning. And we are here to support you in doing just that! Join us at our third IBDP deep-dive: Deconstructing the math AA course, and add to your teaching toolkit! Collaborate with peers to unpack innovative teaching strategies and compound your students’ success on the math AA course! Connect with like-minded educators from around the world, share resources, and learn from one another.

Workshop objectives:

  • Explore how you can structure and pace the course to suit your classroom needs
  • Understand how to plan for the internal assessment and select effective topics
  • Discuss strategies to help students approach external assessments 
  • Discover best practices for integrating calculator skills into instruction

Session I: Structuring the math AA course (1 hour) 
Speaker: Tony Halsey

When designing your math AA course, there are several components to consider. Join Tony to discuss pacing and content integration for the course. Explore essential skills for internal and external assessments, and when to best introduce them to your students. The session will conclude with a discussion on the use of math-specific technology and how it can benefit your classroom instruction.

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Session II: Mastering the math AA internal assessment (1.5 hours) 
Speaker: Dr. Edward Downes

Join Dr. Downes to learn more about breaking down the math IA into manageable steps. At this collaborative session, you can ideate on strategies for stimulating student ideas.  From choosing a winning topic to timing tips, this session will focus on best practices to support student success on the IA. 

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Session III: Building skills for paper 1 and HL paper 3 (1.5 hours) 
Speaker: Adrian Sparrow

Student success in the math AA course factors in various transferable skills. Join Adrian as he helps you identify, and explicitly teach, skills that are relevant to both paper 1 and the new paper 3 assessments. Deconstruct ways to approach both assessments in the classroom in time-efficient ways, and develop confidence in your ability to guide students to mastery! 

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Session IV: Integrating calculator skills for paper 2 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Kevin Frederick 

Join Kevin as he breaks down some important tips to help students efficiently use calculators for paper 2. Focusing on the importance of calculator skills in math assessments, this session will explore best practices for integrating calculator skills in your classroom.

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Speakers
Tony Halsey
Mathematics Educator, Institut Le Rosey
Dr. Edward Downes
IBDP Math Educator, Alcuin School | PhD
Adrian Sparrow
Mathematics Educator, Zurich International School (ZIS) | Website Author
Kevin Frederick
Mathematics Educator, Cascades Academy | Author
Disclaimer - This event is organised independently of and not endorsed by the IB. Toddle’s events and webinars are organised to enable an exchange of practices and ideas within the educator community and are not a replacement for official IB workshops. Views and opinions expressed by the speakers are their personal views and should not be construed as official guidance by the IB. Please seek assistance from your school’s IB coordinator and/or refer to official IB documents before implementing shared ideas and strategies in your classroom.

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Tony Halsey
Tony is a mathematics educator with more than forty years of experience delivering multiple curricula in different countries. He currently teaches math at Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland. He draws from his expertise in training and leading maths departments as he shares best practices during his session. When he’s not in the classroom guiding students or in the staff room leading trainings, you can find Tony on the ski slopes.
Dr. Edward Downes
Edward Downes has been a DP mathematics educator at the Alcuin Montessori School in Dallas, Texas, USA for over seven years. He studied mathematics and sports science at Loughborough University. He holds a Master's and PhD in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Southern Methodist University. Besides being a huge fan of mathematics, Edward is also a former division one swimmer and sports enthusiast.
Adrian Sparrow
Adrian is a mathematics and theory of knowledge educator at Zurich International School. With over 25 years of teaching experience, he has taught mathematics in seven international schools across six countries. Adrian has also served as the Head of Department, Assistant Head of Department, Director of Studies, and Examinations Officer. Adrian is the author of two successful websites, www.ibmaths.com and www.igmaths.com, and the mathematics section of the book 'Introducing The IB Diploma'.
Kevin Frederick
A mathematics educator at Cascades Academy, Kevin Frederick is also the co-author of Pearson’s Applications and Interpretations textbooks (2019) With 19+ years of experience, Kevin has led mathematics departments at five schools on three continents and delivered a range of workshops. His experience ranges from IB MYP and DP mathematics curricula to AP math courses as well as computer programming and general technology courses for all ages. Kevin is an expert at integrating technology to enhance student learning.
Approaches to Learning Skills, Assessment, Classroom Strategies, For Teaching Teams
IBDP Deep-dive:
Deconstructing the Math AA Course
There was a time when someone bought 80 watermelons in a math problem and no one questioned why! Or a boy ate 19 out of the 20 chocolates and no one thought of stopping him! But not anymore. The DP math: analysis and approaches (AA) course goes above and beyond just finding the ‘x’ 😉. Real-world applications, mathematical modelling, and integration of graphing calculators and mathematical software are just a few of the skills students develop during the course.
As math AA educators, you are responsible for challenging students’ mathematical understanding, problem-solving skills, and logical reasoning. And we are here to support you in doing just that! Join us at our third IBDP Deep-Dive, Deconstructing the math AA course, and add to your teaching toolkit! Collaborate with peers to unpack innovative teaching strategies and compound your students’ success on the math AA course! Connect with like-minded educators from around the world, share resources, and learn from one another.

Workshop objectives:
Explore how you can structure and pace the course to suit your classroom needs
Understand how to plan for the internal assessment and select effective topics
Discuss strategies to help students approach external assessments
Discover best practices for integrating calculator skills into instruction

Session I: Structuring the math AA course (1 hour)
Speaker: Tony Halsey
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM GMT
When designing your math AA course, there are several components to consider. Join Tony to discuss pacing and content integration for the course. Explore essential skills for internal and external assessments, and when to best introduce them to your students. The session will conclude with a discussion on the use of math-specific technology and how it can benefit your classroom instruction.

Session II: Mastering the math AA internal assessment (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Dr. Edward Downes
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM GMT
Join Dr. Downes to learn more about breaking down the math IA into manageable steps. At this collaborative session, you can ideate on strategies for stimulating student ideas. From choosing a winning topic to timing tips, this session will focus on best practices to support student success on the IA.

Session III: Building skills for paper 1 and HL paper 3 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Adrian Sparrow
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM GMT
Student success in the math AA course factors in various transferable skills. Join Adrian as he helps you identify, and explicitly teach, skills that are relevant to both paper 1 and the new paper 3 assessments. Deconstruct ways to approach both assessments in the classroom in time-efficient ways, and develop confidence in your ability to guide students to mastery!

Session IV: Integrating calculator skills for paper 2 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Kevin Frederick
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM GMT
Join Kevin as he breaks down some important tips to help students efficiently use calculators for paper 2. Focusing on the importance of calculator skills in math assessments, this session will explore best practices for integrating calculator skills in your classroom.