Sunday, March 31, 2013

New study explores what it means to be an IB teacher


New study explores what it means to be an IB teacher

19 March 2013

Researchers at the International Baccalaureate (IB) set out to learn what ingredients go into making an IB teacher an IB teacher -- to better understand the perspectives and attributes of this effective, dedicated corps of educators. Researchers Liz Bergeron and Michael Dean used an online survey, focus groups, and document review to improve current understanding of teaching in IB programmes, compared to commonly held more general beliefs about effective teaching. Their findings, reported in the study, “The IB teacher professional: identifying, measuring and characterizing pedagogical attributes, perspectives and beliefs” support the assertion that IB teachers approach the whole student with inquiry-based instruction, and with the intention of shaping their students into socially responsible citizens.
“This study supports what we in the IB community have long known: IB teachers are themselves lifelong learners who aim to develop the same keen interest in their students,” says Chief Academic Officer Judith Fabian, International Baccalaureate. “IB teachers approach their students with creativity, flexibility, openness, care and compassion. Their pedagogical approaches and belief systems are at the core of their excellence as teachers.”
The survey sample included 3,184 IB teachers who completed The Teaching Perspective Inventory (TPI) developed by John Collins and Daniel Pratt; a widely used instrument of self-examination that allows for comparison against a population of non-IB teachers. Each respondent received a profile report on both their dominant and recessive perspectives from a total of five TPI perspectives characteristic of teaching practice: transmissionapprenticeshipdevelopmentalnurturing and socialreform. As a unit, the average IB teacher profile has nurturing as its dominant perspective, backed up by apprenticeshipand development. Although this pattern is similar to the general primary and secondary teacher population, IB teachers were found to score higher than 60 percent of their peers on not one, but four perspectives: social reformdevelopmental,apprenticeship, and transmission, suggesting that IB teachers identify with these four perspectives more than the average teacher.
From 

Saturday, March 30, 2013

ICNAAM 2013


ICNAAM 2013, 21-27 September 2013, Rodos Palace Hotel, Rhodes, Greece

With cooperation of
European Society of Computational Methods in Sciences, Engineering and Technology (ESCMCET)

Friday, March 29, 2013

IB Mathematics HL Option Sets Relations and Groups

The fundamental theorems and propositions on Group Theory from www.ibmaths4u.com

Re: IB Maths HL Option: Sets, Relations and Groups


1.  is a group under addition modulo n. With identity 0 and the inverse of  is the 

2. The number of elements of a group is its order 

3. The order of an element g, which is denoted by , in a group G is the smallest positive integer n such that 

4. Cyclic group  and g is called a generator of 

5. The order of the generator is the same as the order of the group it generated.

6. Let G be a group, and let x be any element of G. Then,  is a subgroup of G.

7. Let  be a cyclic group of order n.
Then  if and only if gcd(n,k)=1.

8. Every subgroup of a cyclic group is cyclic.

9. Every cyclic group is Abelian.

10. If G is isomorphic to H then G is Abelian if and only if H is Abelian.

11. If G is isomorphic to H then G is Cyclic if and only if H is Cyclic.

12. Lagrange’s Theorem: If G is a finite group and H is a subgroup of G, then the order of H divides G.

13. In a finite group, the order of each element of the group divides the prder of the group.

14. A Group of prime order is cyclic.

15. For any  where e is the identity element of the group G.

16. An infinite cyclic group is isomorphic to the additive group 

17. A cyclic group of order n is isomorphic to the additive group  of integers modulo n.

18. Let p be a prime. Up to isomorphism, there is exactly one group of order p.

19. Let (G, *) be a group and . If , then  , where  is the identity element of the group G.

20. In a Cayley table for a group (G, *), each element appears exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column.

21. A group (G,*) is called a finite group if G has only a finite number of elements. The order of the group is the number of its elements.

22. A group with an infinite number of elements is called an infinite group.

23. If (G,*) is a group, then ({e},*) and (G,*) are subgroups of (G,*) and are called trivial.

24. Let G be a group and H be a non-empty subset of G. then H is a subgroup of G if and only if for all .

25. Let G be a group and H be a finite non-empty subset of G. then H is a subgroup of G if and only if for all .

26. Let  be a finite group of order n.
Then 

27. Let  be a finite cyclic group. Then the order of g equals the order of the group.

28. A finite group G is a cyclic group if and only if there exists an element  such that the order of this element equals the order of the group ().

29. Let G be a finite cyclic group of order n. Then froe every positive divisor d of n, there exists a unique subgroup of G of order d.

30. Let G be a group of finite order n. Then the order of any element x of G divides n and 

31.Let G be a group of prime order. Then g is cyclic.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

IB Maths Websites

IB mathematical Studies

Number and algebra, Descriptive statistics, Logic, sets and probability, Statistical applications, Geometry and trigonometry, Mathematical models, Introduction to differential calculus.

IB Mathematics SL



Algebra

Arithmetic sequences and series; sum of finite arithmetic series; geometric sequences and series; sum of finite and infinite geometric series. Sigma notation. Elementary treatment of exponents and logarithms. Laws of exponents; laws of logarithms. Change of base.

The binomial theorem.




Functions and equations

Domain, range, image of a function. Composite functions. Identity function. Inverse function.

The graph of a function, Function graphing skills., Investigation of key features of graphs, such as

maximum and minimum values, intercepts, horizontal and vertical asymptotes, symmetry, and consideration of domain and range.

Use of technology to graph a variety of functions, including ones not specifically mentioned.

The graph of inverse function as the reflection in the line y = x of the graph of y = f (x) .

Transformations of graphs , Translations, Reflections, Vertical stretch with scale factor p, Stretch in the x-direction, Composite transformations.

The quadratic function, The reciprocal function, The rational function, Vertical and horizontal asymptotes.




Exponential functions and their graphs, Logarithmic functions and their graphs.

Solving equations, both graphically and analytically.

Use of technology to solve a variety of equations, including those where there is no appropriate analytic approach.

The quadratic formula, The discriminant, Solving exponential equations, Applications of graphing skills and solving

equations that relate to real-life situations.




Circular functions and trigonometry

The circle: radian measure of angles; length of an arc; area of a sector. Definition of cosθ and sinθ in terms of the

unit circle. Exact values of sin, cos and tan of and their multiples.

The Pythagorean identity, Double angle identities for sine and cosine, Relationship between trigonometric ratios.

The circular functions sin x , cos x and tan x :their domains and ranges; amplitude, theirperiodic nature; and their graphs.

Composite functions of the form f (x) = asin (b(x + c) ) + d . Transformations.

Solving trigonometric equations in a finite interval, both graphically and analytically.

Equations leading to quadratic equations in sin x, cos x or tan x .

Solution of triangles, The cosine rule, The sine rule, including the ambiguous case, Area of a triangle.




Vectors

Vectors as displacements in the plane and in three dimensions.

Components of a vector, The scalar product of two vectors, Perpendicular vectors; parallel vectors, The angle between two vectors,

Vector equation of a line in two and three dimensions, The angle between two lines, Distinguishing between coincident and parallel

lines. Finding the point of intersection of two lines. Determining whether two lines intersect.




Statistics and probability

Concepts of population, sample, random sample, discrete and continuous data.

Presentation of data: frequency distributions, frequency histograms with equal class intervals, box-and-whisker plots, outliers.

Grouped data: use of mid-interval values for calculations, interval width; upper and lower interval boundaries, modal class.

Statistical measures and their interpretations. Central tendency: mean, median, mode. Quartiles, percentiles.

Dispersion: range, interquartile range, variance, standard deviation. Effect of constant changes to the original data.

Cumulative frequency; cumulative frequency graphs; use to find median, quartiles, percentiles.

Linear correlation of bivariate data, Pearson’s product–moment correlation coefficient r.

Scatter diagrams; lines of best fit., Equation of the regression line of y on x. Use of the equation for prediction purposes.

Mathematical and contextual interpretation. Concepts of trial, outcome, equally likely

outcomes, sample space (U) and event. The probability of an event A, The complementary events A and A′ (not A).

Use of Venn diagrams, tree diagrams and tables of outcomes.

Combined events, Mutually exclusive events, Conditional probability, Independent events, Probabilities with and without replacement.

Concept of discrete random variables and their probability distributions. Expected value (mean), E(X ) for discrete data.

Binomial distribution. Mean and variance of the binomial distribution. Normal distributions and curves. Standardization of normal variables (z-values, z-scores). Properties of the normal distribution.




Calculus

Informal ideas of limit and convergence, Limit notation, Definition of derivative from first principles, Derivative interpreted as gradient function and as rate of change. Tangents and normals, and their equations. The chain rule for composite functions.

The product and quotient rules. The second derivative. Extension to higher derivatives. Local maximum and minimum points.

Testing for maximum or minimum. Points of inflexion with zero and non-zero gradients. Graphical behaviour of functions,

including the relationship between the graphs of f , f ′ and f ′′ . Optimization. Indefinite integration as anti-differentiation.

The composites of any of these with the linear function ax + b . Integration by inspection, or substitution.

Anti-differentiation with a boundary condition to determine the constant term. Definite integrals, both analytically and using

technology. Areas under curves (between the curve and the x-axis). Areas between curves. Volumes of revolution about the x-axis.

Kinematic problems involving displacement s, velocity v and acceleration a. Total distance travelled.

IB Mathematics HL



Big overall changes are that matrices have been removed. The two portfolio

pieces have been replaced by a more open-ended mathematical exploration. Applications are mentioned

much more than previously.




Algebra

Arithmetic sequences and series, sum of finite arithmetic series, geometric sequences and series, sum of finite and infinite geometric series,Sigma notation.

Exponents and logarithms,Laws of exponents, laws of logarithms,Change of base.

Counting principles, including permutations and combinations.

The binomial theorem

Proof by mathematical induction.

Complex numbers: the number i

terms real part, imaginary part, conjugate,modulus and argument.

Cartesian form z = a + ib

Sums, products and quotients of complex numbers

Modulus–argument (polar) form, The complex plane.Powers of complex numbers: de Moivre’s theorem.

nth roots of a complex number

Conjugate roots of polynomial equations with real coefficients.

Solutions of systems of linear equations (a maximum of three equations in three unknowns), including cases where there is a unique solution, an infinity of solutions or no solution.







Functions and equations

Concept of function (domain, range, image),Odd and even functions,Composite functions, Identity function,One-to-one and many-to-one functions

Inverse function, The graph of a function, Investigation of key features of graphs, such as maximum and minimum values, intercepts, horizontal and vertical asymptotes and symmetry,and consideration of domain and range.

Transformations of graphs: translations, stretches, reflections in the axes. The graph of the inverse function as a reflection in y = x. Rational function, exponential function and logarithmic function.

Polynomial functions and their graphs. The factor and remainder theorems. The fundamental theorem of algebra.

Solving quadratic equations using the quadratic formula. Use of the discriminant to determine the nature of the roots.

Solving polynomial equations both graphically and algebraically. Sum and product of the roots of polynomial equations.

Use of technology to solve a variety of equations, including those where there is no appropriate analytic approach.

Graphical or algebraic methods, for simple polynomials up to degree 3. Use of technology for these and other functions.







Circular functions and trigonometry

The circle: radian measure of angles. Length of an arc; area of a sector.Definition of cosθ , sinθ and tanθ in terms of the unit circle.

Exact values of sin, cos and tan of and their multiples.

Definition of the reciprocal trigonometric ratios secθ , cscθ and cotθ . Pythagorean identities.

Compound angle identities. Double angle identities.

Composite functions of the form f (x) = asin(b(x + c)) + d .

The inverse functions arcsin x ,arccos x , arctan x , their domains and ranges, their graphs.

Algebraic and graphical methods of solving trigonometric equations in a finite interval, including the use of trigonometric identities and factorization.

The cosine rule. The sine rule including the ambiguous case. Area of a triangle




Vectors

Concept of a vector. Representation of vectors using directed line segments. Unit vectors; base vectors i, j, k.Components of a vector.

The definition of the scalar product of two vectors.

Properties of the scalar product:

The angle between two vectors. Perpendicular vectors; parallel vectors. vVector equation of a line in two and three dimensions: r = a +λb .

Simple applications to kinematics. The angle between two lines.Coincident, parallel, intersecting and skew lines.

Points of intersection. The definition of the vector product of two vectors.

Properties of the vector product. Geometric interpretation of v × w .

Vector equation of a plane r = a +λb + μc .

Use of normal vector to obtain the form r ⋅ n = a ⋅ n.

Cartesian equation of a plane ax + by + cz = d .

Intersections of: a line with a plane; two planes; three planes. Angle between: a line and a plane; two planes.




Statistics and probability

Concepts of population, sample, random sample and frequency distribution of discrete and continuous data.

Grouped data: mid-interval values, interval width, upper and lower interval boundaries. Mean, variance, standard deviation.

Concepts of trial, outcome, equally likely outcomes, sample space (U) and event.

The probability of an event A. The complementary events A and A′ (not A). Use of Venn diagrams, tree diagrams, counting principles and tables of outcomes to solve problems.

Combined events; the formula for P(A∪ B) . Mutually exclusive events. Conditional probability. Independent events, the definition. Use of Bayes’ theorem for a maximum of three events.

Concept of discrete and continuous random variables and their probability distributions. Definition and use of probability density functions.

Expected value (mean), mode, median, variance and standard deviation.

Binomial distribution, its mean and variance. Poisson distribution, its mean and variance.

Normal distribution, Properties of the normal distribution. Standardization of normal variables.




Calculus

Informal ideas of limit, continuity and convergence. Definition of derivative from first principles.

The derivative interpreted as a gradient function and as a rate of change. Finding equations of tangents and normals.

Identifying increasing and decreasing functions.

The second derivative. Higher derivatives.

Derivatives of xn , sin x , cos x , tan x , and ln x . Differentiation of sums and multiples of functions.

The product and quotient rules. The chain rule for composite functions.

Related rates of change. Implicit differentiation.

Derivatives of sec x , csc x , cot x , , loga x ,arcsin x , arccos x and arctan x .

Local maximum and minimum values. Optimization problems. Points of inflexion with zero and non-zero gradients.

Graphical behaviour of functions, including the relationship between the graphs of f , f ′ and f ′′ .

Indefinite integration as anti-differentiation. Indefinite integral of x^n , sin x , cos x and .

Anti-differentiation with a boundary condition to determine the constant of integration. Definite integrals.

Area of the region enclosed by a curve and the x-axis or y-axis in a given interval; areas of regions enclosed by curves.

Volumes of revolution about the x-axis or y-axis.

Kinematic problems involving displacement s, velocity v and acceleration a. Total distance travelled.

Integration by substitution. Integration by parts.

IB Mathematics

To earn an IB Diploma, a candidate must pass one of the following four mathematics courses: Mathematical Studies SL (Standard Level),Mathematics SLMathematics HL (Higher Level), or Further Mathematics SL.


Four courses in mathematics are available:
  • mathematical studies standard level
  • mathematics SL
  • mathematics higher level
  • further mathematics standard level which will become a higher level course in 2012 with first examinations in 2014.

These four courses serve to accommodate the range of needs, interests and abilities of students, and to fulfill the requirements of various university and career aspirations.
The aims of these courses are to enable students to:
  • develop mathematical knowledge, concepts and principles
  • develop logical, critical and creative thinking
  • employ and refine their powers of abstraction and generalization.
Students are also encouraged to appreciate the international dimensions of mathematics and the multiplicity of its cultural and historical perspectives.