Essential Mathematics focuses on the following topics of Number, Data, Location and Time, Measurement and
Finance. Teaching and learning builds on the proficiency strands of the P–10 Australian Curriculum. Students develop
their conceptual understanding when they undertake tasks that require them to connect mathematical concepts,
operations and relations. They will learn to recognise definitions, rules and facts from everyday mathematics and data,
and to calculate using appropriate mathematical processes.
Students will benefit from studies in Essential Mathematics because they will develop skills that go beyond the
traditional ideas of numeracy. This is achieved through a greater emphasis on estimation, problem-solving and
reasoning, which develops students into thinking citizens who interpret and use mathematics to make informed
predictions and decisions about personal and financial priorities. Students will see mathematics as applicable to their
employability and lifestyles, Students will gain an
appreciation that there is rarely one way of doing things and that real-world mathematics requires adaptability and
flexibility.