The NEW Mathematics Stage 6 syllabuses are out!
The NSW Education Standard Authority (NESA) have come out with new and updated mathematics stage 6 syllabuses. These new syllabuses are designed to help students think mathematically through questioning, communicating, reasoning and reflecting, as they draw a strong emphasis on the application of mathematics to the real world!
In comparison to the most recent syllabus, these new ones contain many previous topics however also include some new, more complex topics.
This is to better prepare students for future university studies in STEM- related areas such as science, maths and engineering.
It is important to note that these new syllabuses are to be first taught to year 11 students in 2019 and first examined in the 2020 HSC. However, the new Mathematics Standard syllabus is taught in 2018, and first examined in 2019 HSC!
What’s the reason for this change?
Through changing the topics explored and the way in which they are taught, NESA hopes to better prepare students for further education and life after school.
There is a strong focus on higher-order critical thinking and problem solving, making HSC examinations less predictable.
The syllabuses provide a set of broad learning outcomes that summarise the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes important for students to succeed in and beyond their schooling. In particular, the attainment of skills in literacy and numeracy needed for further study, employment and active participation in society are provided in the syllabuses in alignment with the Australian Core Skills Framework.
The Stage 6 syllabuses include the content of the Australian Curriculum and additional descriptions that clarify the scope and depth of learning in each subject.
To better your understanding of just how the syllabus has changed, I took the liberty to compare the old to the new syllabus in all maths subject areas. I have also included a short description at the bottom of each table, on the changes of each subject.
MATHEMATICS STANDARD (previously called mathematics general!)
Aim: The study of Mathematics Standard in Stage 6 enables students to develop their knowledge and understanding of what it means to work mathematically, improve their skills to solve problems relating to their present and future needs and aspirations, and improve their understanding of how to communicate in a concise and systematic manner.
When comparing the old with the new, the core topics remain fairly similar.
However, there is the introduction of a new topic in the HSC syllabus called ‘Networks’. This addition helps to draw a focus on online data and its application!
MATHEMATICS ADVANCED
Aim: The study of Mathematics Advanced in Stage 6 enables students to enhance their knowledge and understanding of what it means to work mathematically, develop their understanding of the relationship between ‘real-world’ problems and mathematical models and extend their skills of concise and systematic communication.
When compared with the old, the new syllabus contains many overlapping subjects however the order in which they are taught differs greatly. For example, in the old syllabus, log and exponential were topics explored in year 12, however in the new syllabus this is taught in year 11.
The way that the new syllabus is organised is that the same overarching concepts are explored across preliminary to HSC however they increase with difficulty and application over the 2 years.
Overall, it is an extension of the current syllabus to incorporate more complex concepts.
There is also an addition of a new topic area of ‘financial maths’ as well as ‘statistical analysis’ being incorporated into the new mathematics advanced syllabus.
MATHEMATICS EXTENSION 1
Aim: The study of Mathematics Extension 1 in Stage 6 enables students to extend their knowledge and understanding of what it means to work mathematically, develop their skills to reason logically, generalise and make connections, and enhance their understanding of how to communicate in a concise and systematic manner.
Overall, the new extension 1 syllabus serves to act as an extension of the mathematics advanced syllabus, delving into more complex applications and topic areas across the preliminary and HSC course.
There is an addition of the topic of ‘vectors’, providing stronger links to engineering and other STEM-related subjects. There is also the addition of the new topic of ‘combinatorics’.
MATHEMATICS EXTENSION 2
Aim: The study of Mathematics Extension 2 in Stage 6 enables students to extend their knowledge and understanding of working mathematically, enhance their skills to tackle difficult, unstructured problems, generalise, make connections and become fluent at communicating in a concise and systematic manner.
The new extension 2 syllabus delves greater into the new topic of ‘vectors’ alongside the addition of the topic area ‘proof’. It is also important to note that the topic of circular motion has been removed and replaced with enhanced calculus content. There includes a study of complex numbers including Euler’s formula.
I hope this has informed you on the changes to the stage 6 mathematics syllabuses.
All information has been adapted from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) website.
For more information on content, assessments and syllabus visit; https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/stage-6-learning-areas/stage-6-mathematics
For any questions or enquiries feel free to contact me!
Happy Studying :)
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