CONT542: Mathematics, Primary and Junior Part 1
This course explores what meaningful, equitable, and engaging math teaching looks like for Primary and Junior learners in Ontario. You’ll examine the Ontario mathematics curriculum, high-impact instructional strategies, manipulatives, inquiry-based learning, and inclusive practices that help every student see themselves as capable mathematicians. You will examine how children think and learn, how to design tasks that honour different strengths and identities, and how to build math classrooms that feel welcoming, responsive, and empowering. The learning in this course is hands-on, reflective, and rooted in real classroom practice, so you can immediately apply what you learn to your teaching.
You will collaborate with course colleagues, experiment, and connect big ideas to your own teaching context. You’ll use a range of tools such as educational technologies and assessment frameworks to make informed instructional decisions that support all learners. By the end of the course, you’ll have practical strategies, renewed confidence, and a toolkit you can use to design math learning that is engaging, student-centred, and grounded in what students need to thrive.
Learning Outcomes
What You Will Learn and Do
In this course, you will have the opportunity to
- apply your knowledge of the Ontario mathematics curriculum, policies, and frameworks to create meaningful learning experiences for students
- explore student mathematics learning strategies for Primary and Junior students (e.g., learning trajectories, developmental progressions) to inform responsive and effective instructional practice
- integrate equitable, inclusive, and anti-oppressive principles into teaching practice to ensure every student feels valued in the math classroom
- design and implement mathematics learning experiences that authentically integrate Indigenous Ways of Knowing
- design and facilitate mathematics learning experiences using physical and digital manipulatives to help students explore, represent, and communicate mathematical concepts in multiple ways
- incorporate inquiry-based approaches into lesson designs that engage learners in real-life applications of curriculum expectations across multiple strands and disciplines of study
- develop a balanced grading approach using assessments for, as, and of learning in mathematics to gather evidence of learning, provide quality feedback, and inform future instruction
Assessments
Module 1
Foundations of Mathematics in Ontario
Module 2
Equity, Inclusion, and Indigenous Principles in Mathematics
Progress Update 1
Module 3
Math Tools and Manipulatives
Module 4
Inquiry in the Math Classroom
Progress Update 2
Module 5
Assessment and Feedback in Mathematics
Progress Update 3
Module 6
Accessible Math Classrooms
Module 7
Course Culminating Task
Final Progress Report