In the new curriculum draft prepared within the scope of the Turkey Century Education Model, which was presented to the public by the Ministry of National Education (MEB), the relationship between mathematics and algorithm-informatics was designed to serve the mathematics learning and teaching processes.
In the Turkey Century Education Model, mathematics field skills were determined by taking into account the skills that cover primary, secondary and high school levels and can be modeled with process components.
The skill-oriented, meaning and need-based approach adopted by the program is aimed to make mathematics a course that is loved rather than feared, and discovered rather than memorized.
All kinds of explanations that would enable teachers to make sense of the new approach of the program and shed light on their classroom practices were included in the program text.
The 5 mathematics field skills included in the new curriculum were planned as "mathematical reasoning", "mathematical problem solving", "mathematical representation", "working with data" and "data-based decision making", and "working with mathematical tools and technology".
During the preparation process of mathematics course curriculum, primary, secondary and high school commissions worked together in accordance with the holistic structure of the Turkey Century Education Model.
First of all, it was focused on how the subjects of "numbers", "geometry" and "statistics and probability" should be placed in a relational and consistent manner from primary school to high school. Afterwards, the commissions worked horizontally and determined the contents related to the mathematics learning objectives of the level and created the theme layouts for these contents.
In this way, for example, the contents that were challenging for students with their operational aspects in the secondary school mathematics curriculum were transferred to secondary education, and thus, more conceptual relations were included at the secondary school level, and content and approaches that would support interdisciplinary relations were prioritized.
Primary school mathematics curriculum
In the newly prepared primary school mathematics curriculum within the framework of the Turkey Century Education Model, learning objectives were given in the form of prediction, mental operation and procedure, with a stage that highlights the student's mathematical reasoning power and thinking skills in teaching-learning practices.
Among the 4 operations that were handled separately in previous programs, addition and subtraction together give the additive situation; Multiplication and division together were given relationally to give the multiplicative case.
In the current curriculum, intuitive comparison is given after addition and subtraction, while in the new curriculum, intuitive comparison is given before the 4 operations, enabling learners to build a bridge between the learning objectives related to the 4 operations skills.
In addition, the new program was designed taking into account the development of number sense and number concept in children.
The learning objectives of the new curriculum were structured accordingly since primary school students' geometric thinking levels are at the visual level.
In this context, taking into account the developmental process, the part-whole relationship was highlighted and it was aimed to teach students the geometry of objects with different object models.
The teaching and learning process was progressed in a more concrete structure and it was aimed to give meaning to the shapes based on the geometric objects that the students could perceive.
Due to the increase in science and technology in the data-based research theme, all steps of the statistical research process were used starting from the first grade of primary school.
The subject of probability started to be taught from simple to complex starting from the 4th grade of primary school, taking into account the cognitive and affective characteristics of children, and formed the basis for content requiring probability in secondary school.
In the program, within the scope of the simplifications made within the framework of the content, the subjects "fractions, time, liquid measurement, standard measuring tools and operation processes, calendar reading" were removed from the first grade and started to be taught from the second grade onwards, as the students in the first grade of primary school had difficulties in the first grade.
In the 3rd grade of primary school, Roman numerals were not given as a learning target, but were reflected in teaching-learning practices regarding time measurement. The bar graph was transferred to the 5th grade, area measurement was completely removed from primary school. Ray line segment plane topics from 4th grade were transferred to 5th grade. Quick counting, shape patterns, coding and algorithm activities were added to primary school 1st grades. Algorithm added to 3rd grade primary school. Equivalent fractions and probability situations encountered in daily life were added to 4th grade primary school students.
Theme contents and learning objectives were structured by taking into account the development level of the students and the principles required by the mathematical discipline such as precedence-succession and prerequisite relationship.
Secondary school mathematics curriculum
While developing the secondary school mathematics curriculum, the fragmented attainment structure was abandoned and a holistic content structure was adopted. A program approach focused on integrated skills, values, literacy, disposition and social-emotional skills, especially mathematics field skills, was adopted.
The program is designed to support the development of high-level skills of critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making.
In this context, challenging content for students with its operational aspect was brought to secondary education in the program, and content and approaches that would support interdisciplinary relations were prioritized. For example, operations with radical expressions were moved to secondary education, but importance was given to making sense of the set of real numbers in the context of radical expressions in secondary school. The concept of function, which has great importance in high school, started to be included in the 8th grade as a continuation of the concepts of line and linear ratio.
Mathematical concepts were associated and tools and technology were used at almost every grade level; Due to the increasing importance of data science and the ability to work with data in real life, science and technology, more emphasis has been placed on statistics and probability.
In line with the needs of the digital age, the subject of algorithms related to mathematical content was added to the program in order to develop students' algorithmic thinking skills.
high school mathematics curriculum
The Secondary School Mathematics Course Curriculum was reshaped in line with the scientific developments of the age and skill-based program approach.
Contents that had a high computational burden for students, did not serve meaningful learning, and were not needed at the secondary education level in line with the general objectives of the program were reviewed, some were removed and new ones were added.
In this context, the relationship between mathematics and algorithm-informatics was designed for the first time in this program to serve the processes of learning and teaching mathematics.
Statistics topics were reconsidered in the context of "the ability to work with data and make data-based decisions" and their place in the program was significantly increased.
Topics related to numbers, algebra and functions have been redesigned with functions at the center. In an interdisciplinary context, the dimensions of functions to examine changes and serve as problem solving tools were prioritized.
Sets and logic topics, which were handled in an abstract, symbolic and transaction-oriented way, were restructured by integrating them into other topics. A program has been developed that will gradually develop students' mathematical verification and proof skills by realizing and effectively using the place and importance of logical connectives and quantifiers in mathematical language and symbolism, as well as operations related to sets.
The use of tools and technology in geometry was highlighted, and a dynamic geometry teaching based on reasoning and problem solving was aimed.
The concept of integral, which is presented in a very limited and transaction-oriented manner and is no more than a calculation tool in its current form, was not included, and the subjects of limits and derivatives, as the basic tools of the mathematics of change, were discussed more comprehensively. Comments and inferences about derivatives were included with a problem-solving focused approach.
Limit and derivative will be included comprehensively
The place of the concept of integral in the programs was significantly narrowed by ongoing revision studies, and it was seen that no meaningful learning was achieved in its current form and the concept of integral was not used in other secondary education courses.
In the new Secondary Education Mathematics Program, the concepts of limit and derivative were brought to the fore as the basic tools for examining changes between quantities.
These concepts were covered more comprehensively than previous programs with a skill-oriented approach. In high school, the concept of integral, which was currently presented in a very limited and operation-oriented way, was not included, and the concepts of limit and derivative were discussed more comprehensively.
In the new program, an approach focused on examining the changes over a period of 4 years was put forward. It was envisaged that this approach would provide a solid basis for analysis courses at the university and that students who would need it in their later education and career lives would be able to fully learn the integral.