At Hamlin, teachers in mathematics endeavor to help students:

• Develop a conceptual understanding of math and its relevance to real world applications.

• Develop proficiency with basic computation.
• Learn to apply their knowledge and problem solving skills.
• Maximize their curiosity, creativity, and appreciation for math.
• Learn to make connections between math and other disciplines.

Problem solving throughout every grade is a key focus. Girls move from chip trading in kindergarten to graphing quadratic functions in eighth grade. Students are engaged in independent and cooperative problem-solving activities. They are encouraged to take risks, to estimate, and to rely on a number of strategies such as making an organized list, drawing a picture, making a model, and looking for patterns in order to solve a given math problem.

Basic computation skills and critical thinking are combined to solve routine and non-routine problems. The teachers keep a balanced approach to emphasizing conceptual understanding while helping students become adept at using necessary algorithms.