LC HL Maths book for 2016/17. What's your choice?

80s Child · 19-05-2016 11:34AM #1

Hi folks,

My colleagues and I are considering changing our LC HL Maths book for the coming year. We're presently using the Active Maths series, but as they're bringing out a new book, it gives us a chance to change, if we see fit.

From talking to one or two other schools, Text & Tests seems to be a popular choice, but having gone through it, I feel that it may take more time than the Active Maths to get through the entire course.

What we really want is something that is concise in nature, so that we can get through the course as quickly as possible, while also challenging the students to the required level that they'll feel comfortable transitioning to the exam papers.

Any thoughts, recommendations etc would be greatly appreciated!!

derb12 · 19-05-2016 03:14PM

We are considering switching for the very same reason this year - going over to the Aidan Roantree books (Effective Maths, I think).
I just need to check what online support they have - folensonline.ie has been very handy for putting the book up on the screen in class.
I think that Texts and Tests stayed very close to the old approach and old syllabus in their books - it's like they haven't really bought in to Project Maths.
Hope that helps - we have to decide this week so I'll follow updates on this thread too.

lostatsea · 19-05-2016 03:59PM

I've just started teaching and there is a new book just out that that kills them all - beautifully designed, teaches the fundamentals well and still adopts the new approach to teaching maths, great activity books that help discovery learning that I'll be using in TY, incredible solutions with detailed calculations and lovely graphs and coloured charts that I can throw up on a screen with a data projector, incredible animations linked into the ebooks that make the Khan academy look amateurish and other features that the maths teachers in my school were raving about. Unfortunately, I've forgotten its title - I'll try to find it later.

man_no_plan · 19-05-2016 04:45PM

I heard something about a new book from EDCO due soon. One of the maths teachers was talking about it and lookingto change, had to tell her no! Book scheme cant afford it this year.

It is so hard to pick a book in fairness unless you have used it for a bit before. We have been through the Folens JC books (with a new one each year) for project maths, then onto text and tests then onto the EDCO JC book and now theres talk about changing again. There is no such thing as a perfect book in any subject as far as i can see.

I do think the educate.ie books have been well recieved. The Construction book is very good and not too expensive either.

The publishers are going to have a field day with the new JC too!

franktennis · 19-05-2016 06:23PM

We are going for 'Power of Maths' this year . Main reason is the examples are really good in most of the topics if a bit long winded. Questions are very good too and exam like.

On another point as its my first year teaching honours maths in leaving we don't have a structure so if anyone has one that would be great.

What have you covered in 5th year ?

80s Child · 19-05-2016 08:03PM

franktennis wrote: »

We are going for 'Power of Maths' this year . Main reason is the examples are really good in most of the topics if a bit long winded. Questions are very good too and exam like.

On another point as its my first year teaching honours maths in leaving we don't have a structure so if anyone has one that would be great.

What have you covered in 5th year ?

We went through Text and Tests and the New Active Maths books this evening. As another poster said, we found the Text and Tests a little more 'old school' compared to the AM.

Our plan is to go through the AM and chop it to its bare bones! Due to the length of the course, we're finding that we're finishing a lot later than we used to with the old course, thus curtailing our revision time. Our main is to cover the major aspects if each topic, leaving space for the more progressive students to tackle the higher order questions, thus giving us more time at the end of 6th year. We want 8-10 weeks of revision, that's our aim!

With regards to a plan, we've generally been following the layout in the books, put injecting Trig in the middle. So our plan for 5th year would be:
1) Algebra ( 3 chapters)
2)Arithmetic (which has become FM in the new book).
3) Area and Volume.
4) Trig
5) Constructions (Done after school in a 2 hour session)
6) Number theory ( Root 2 and root 3 with contradiction.
7) Logs and Indices
8) Functions
9) Sequences and Series
10) Financial Maths
11) Induction
12) Complex Numbers

We used to get Calculus 1 done, but we seem to have slowed slightly.

I don't think that's the 'Project Maths' guided layout.

Hope it helps.

franktennis · 19-05-2016 08:11PM

Christ you have covered loads !!

1. Algebra 3 Chapters
2. Stats (both chapters including supplement )
3. Probability (both chapters )
4. The Line
5. The Circle

Currently on Trig Graphing Functions

Jane98 · 20-05-2016 08:35PM

franktennis wrote: »

Christ you have covered loads !!

1. Algebra 3 Chapters
2. Stats (both chapters including supplement )
3. Probability (both chapters )
4. The Line
5. The Circle

Currently on Trig Graphing Functions

Exactly what I have covered this year with my (weak) 5th year honours class. The Statistics course is massive now!

We too had a dilemma regarding what book to choose this year. My preference was for the new 'Power of Maths' series for Higher Level but I was overruled and in the end we decided to go with the new edition of Active Maths for Higher Level. For Ordinary level it was decided to go with Text & Tests mostly for the reason it is only one book for the course.

80s Child · 20-05-2016 09:32PM

franktennis wrote: »

Christ you have covered loads !!

1. Algebra 3 Chapters
2. Stats (both chapters including supplement )
3. Probability (both chapters )
4. The Line
5. The Circle

Currently on Trig Graphing Functions

Stats is cruel, as is probability. There's a lot of understanding in it and thus it takes a huge amount of time!

Still, we want to have finished by mid term, that's the aim. The volume of the course is killing us all. We've tried doing each topic to the nth degree, leaving only 4-5 weeks revision, but we've found that the students don't really remember the more intricate aspects anyway, so we've chopped it slightly so it gives us more time to revise. It also gives us a chance to go more into the paper questions obviously at that stage.

We've 6 40 min periods a week and if I could, I'd push for a 7th! I know a number of schools where the teacher is doing an extra period at some stage of the week, whether it be at lunch time, after school or whatever, just to get the course done asap!! It's not easy!!

LC HL Maths book for 2016/17. What's your choice?

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