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Features of MIC

Introduction

Mathematics in Context - An Investigative Approach (MIC) is a textbook series for years 11 and 12 that has been updated for the revised Queensland Mathematics B syllabus to be implemented in 2009.
MIC was designed to give you and your students TIME - time to achieve the general objectives of the course and time to construct strong Mathematical concepts, knowledge and habits. With MIC it is possible for teachers to present a seamless, integrated instructional and assessment program that caters for the needs of all students.

Interdependent learning

Much has been written recently about those personal qualities considered desirable in effective living and working. High on the list are the ability to work independently, and to work in teams when needed. These skills can be described as interdependency - knowing when and how to work independently and when and how to work with others in a team environment. These skills do not develop naturally in all. An essential element of MIC's design is to encourage the development of these skills in all students.

Quality Coursework

MIC was designed to provide the teacher and student of Mathematics B with a textbook that delivers rich and meaningful learning experiences. MIC is able to achieve this because:

• A. MIC is contextual

  MIC develops the ideas, concepts, and skills (called Key Concepts) of the course in interesting and thought-provoking contexts following a cyclical process of :

  
• EXPLORATION: The Key Concepts of a chapter are introduced in Explorations, where students work on rich tasks that develop the essential concepts and skills.
  
• CONCLUSION: Following the Exploration, the results are formalised and generalised to emphasise the Key Concept.
  
• Check your understanding: Once the Key Concept has been introduced, the students are given an opportunity to test their understanding by attempting well-graded questions.
• B. MIC is rigorous
  MIC encourages students to appreciate the rigorous foundations of the theory of the Mathematics in each context.
• C. MIC is genuinely graded

  MIC's chapters are designed to progress from the routine to the non-routine and from the simple to the complex, using a variety of technology in contexts ranging from life related to the abstract.

• D. MIC is contemporary

  MIC'is fully supported with student CD and a comprehensive web site with interactive learning objects and self-correcting digital quizzes as well as a teacher section with assessment, course outline etc.

• E. MIC support Best Practice

  MIC's design is based on Bloom's Taxonomy and the Dimensions of Learning framework. The learning experiences, Explorations and Check your understanding's in each chapter:
  

  • follow the sequence KNOWLEDGE -> COMPREHENSION -> APPLICATION -> ANALYSIS -> SYNTHESIS -> EVALUATION
  • provide structured oportunities for students to ACQUIRE and INTEGRATE KNOWLEDGE, EXTEND and REFINE KNOWLEDGE and USE KNOWLEDGE MEANINGFULLY, as well as develop POSITIVE ATTITUDES and PERCEPTIONS about Mathematics and central to the texts is the development of PRODUCTIVE HABITS of MIND.
• F. MIC provides for meaningful assessment.

  Meeting the assessment requirements of the revised syllabus is made considerably easier with MIC. The design of MIC allows seamless instruction and assessment. At almost any point in the course Explorations, Challenge for Champions, and Projects can be used as a starting points for rich assessment tasks. Throughout each chapter, students are encouraged to make poster presentations to the class of their discoveries with Challenge for Champions and Projects, some of which may be used as assessment tasks.

• G. MIC allows for flexible approaches

  MIC can be used successfully in a variety of pedagogical approaches from direct instruction to independent learning, and has been used very successfully in composite 11/12 classes. MIC has been designed so that individual student needs are seamlessly catered for:

  • the novice - For those students who need time to construct the prerequisite ideas, concepts and skills of the course, MIC introduces the Key Concepts of each chapter in stimulating contexts that start with the concrete and familiar. For these students, MIC also allows risk-sharing by encouraging students to work with technology, and to explore the contexts in pairs or larger groups. Much emphasis is placed on the language of mathematics and effective communication and justification. Where necessary WORKED EXAMPLES are provided. After each Key Concept is introduced, students complete "close exercises", and test their knowledge and understanding in the Check your understanding's.

  • the expert - For those students who have mastered the Key Concepts, MIC encourages risk-taking and higher-order thinking in the Explorations by getting them to look for generalisations, and find proofs for their conjectures. In addition, MIC has ENRICHMENT tasks and EXTENSION questions called Challenge for Champions. The enrichment tasks and extension questions have been designed as a seamless part of the course - not as "fillers" or afterthoughts.

H. MIC uses technology appropriately.

The design of MIC allows seamless use of technology such as graphing calculators and computer packages to investigate, verify results, and consolidate the Key Concepts. The text will work equally as well with regular use of higher technology, or with occasional use. Students with Internet access at school, after school, or at home, can freely visit this web site, where they can down-load the complete site to their own desktop computer or network. The site has an automatic grapher, other useful software, interactive activities, enrichment activities, and the links referred to throughout the text.

I. MIC integrates learning and study.

At this site, students are given advice on skills for success. Students can also download a study regime for MIC that specifically target the Key Concepts of the course.

The file ("layout.pdf") is in PDF format. Click the button at right to obtain a FREE Adobe Reader if your computer doesn't load the file.

The file has page images illustrating the way that each chapter is set out - uncluttered, with easily identifiable labels.

Chapter layout (PDF)  

Web site

Having a downloadable web site allows for progressive updating of resources, which is not possible with a pre-printed CD. For those who would appreciate a disk version of a purchased format (PDF), a copy to schools using MIC is freely available.

At this site there are:

• Study Hints. Students are given detailed advice about how to use the design of MIC to maximise their achievement. Students are shown how to use the Key Concepts to focus on the important elements of the chapter, to assess their progress, and to focus their revision. Students can print out a list of the Key Concepts in a "Progress monitor" that encourages regular revision. In addition, there are links to sites that give valuable information about motivation, goal setting, and career information.

• Interactive - self marking Quizzes. These are focussed on the Key Concepts and Progress monitor of each chapter.

• In Explorations called Techlabs, students are encouraged to work on interactive investigations using technology. Often these Techlabs link to interactive investigations using Java applets at the site.

• Free software. At MIC there are three interactive Java applets that are referred to throughout the chapters. AutoGrapher is an equation plotter similar to a graphics calculator. TransformGrapher gives practice at finding the equations for transformed functions ranging from linear through to logarithmic functions. GradientGrapher allows the gradient function for any function to be displayed. In addition to these, there are downloadable graphics calculator files, and other useful free downloads. These are not "demo" versions with elaborate installations, just easy to use high quality student software.

• A search engine can be accessed from the site so that the student can find additional information on the Key Concepts and other areas of the chapter.

• Throughout the chapters there are references to Enrichment Activities and Project ideas that have links at the site.

• In addition to the extensive student section at the site there is a teacher's section that acts as a Teachers Guide for the text. In this section there are ideas to enhance the teaching of each chapter, links to sites providing ideas on pedagogy and assessment, and administration support with work programmes, etc. There is also a secure section that is password protected where teachers can share assessment ideas free from student scrutiny. In addition, teachers whose schools are using MIC have access to a confidential, moderated mailing list. Acceptance to this mailing list will only be possible to those teachers whose identity has been verified by the school. This secure mailing list will be used to share assessment and other ideas. With teachers' permission, these ideas and examples can be posted (appropriately credited) on-line in the secure section of the Teacher's Guide.

• The advantage of a web-site over a pre-printed CD is that the resources can grow and change to reflect our experience with the revised syllabus and MIC. There will be some who may prefer to have a copy on their computer. Those who download the site and who wish to register and provide an Email address can be contacted when changes are made.

A CD is available for each text as described below.

• Schools who purchase class sets in any particular format may request one free read-only PDF file of that format with a license (see agreement) to make as many student copies (digital) as the number of books purchased.

• Schools who require only the digital format ("laptop schools"), may purchase a read-only PDF file of any format with a license (see agreement) to make student copies (digital).

All prices include GST. Postage and Handling is not included. An additional surcharge may be charged (after consultation) for small orders due to higher small-run costs.