The Proof is in the Taste(r lesson)

Next week we have our taster lessons for the new IB cohort. The IB syllabus has changed this year, and there are now four options that students can choose from.

1. Analysis and Approaches Standard Level (AA SL)
2. Analysis and Approaches Higher Level (AA HL)
3. Applications and Interpretations Standard Level (AI SL)
4. Applications and Interpretations Higher Level (AI HL)

More or less, these equate with pure maths and applied maths (though it is a bit more particular than that).

I will be teaching the AA SL course next year, and for the taster classes we wanted to choose a topic that would show the difference between the courses. We (well I wasn't actually in the meeting, but I agree) chose to use proof. This will make good use of algebra skills, ensuring students know this is a pre-requisite for this course, but also gets to the heart of Mathematics.

In preparing for this I have put together a couple of documents.

 First is this learning map which shows an overview of proof as a topic. They will only need to do Direct Proof and Disproof by Counter Example in the AA SL course (though Induction and Contradiction are in AA HL), but I think giving them a broader picture is important.

I will reveal this a step at a time, as the powerpoint builds up slide by slide (something like in the gif below).

I also put together a lesson sheet for the topic. I have talked before about how I have started using lesson sheets in IB and booklets in IGCSE. This lesson sheet includes examples and plenty of your turns for the students to have a go at, to test their skills in proof.

We will see how the lessons go next week, and I will post an update.