The Mathematics Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

Jordan has undergone several educational reforms since 1989, in which curricular revisions were a major component. In general, Jordan has made impressive progress in developing curriculum and teaching and learning materials over the last few years. In particular, in 2015, Jordan introduced a national policy on textbooks and teaching and learning materials comparable to policies in high performing countries in education around the world. If these policies and processes are maintained over time and expanded to all grades in basic education, major improvements in learning will be seen in Jordan.7

In the latest education reform project, Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy, the mathematics curriculum was revised to focus on learning outcomes and knowledge economy skills. As a result, new textbooks in mathematics were produced for all grades and supplemented with e-content.

Curriculum content is aligned with the standards of the US-based National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The main topic areas are Number, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Probability and Statistics. Students must demonstrate competence in the cognitive domains of knowing, applying, and problem solving. In addition, students are expected to master the following skills for the knowledge economy: communication, information management, problem solving in real life situations, and using symbols, figures, and graphs. The expectations for students in the basic cycle (Grades 1 to 10) are as follows:8

  • Number—Demonstrate knowledge of place value and the four arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division); solve problems by computation, estimation, or approximation; and compare and order fractions and decimals
  • Algebra—Evaluate expressions for given numeric values of variables; simplify or compare algebraic expressions to determine equivalence; model situations using expressions; evaluate equations or formulas given values of variables; solve simple linear equations and inequalities; recognize and write linear equations and inequalities; and solve problems using equations or formulas and functions
  • Geometry—Recognize relationships between three-dimensional shapes and their two-dimensional representations; use visual and spatial inference to solve problems; and apply geometric transformation and symmetry to analyze mathematical problems
  • Measurement—Understand the characteristics that make things measurable, as well as measurement systems and operations; and apply techniques, tools, and formulas to determine appropriate measurements
  • Probability and Statistics—Organize and display data using tables, pictographs, bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs; recognize and describe approaches to organizing and displaying data that could lead to misinterpretation; use data from experiments to predict the chances of future outcomes; and formulate questions that require appropriate data collection