UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE
CENTRE FOR TEACHER EDUCATION AND MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT
MUTARE TEACHERS COLLEGE
DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION (SECONDARY)
PURE MATHEMATICS SYLLABUS
POST ‘O’ LEVEL
1.0 PREAMBLE
This syllabus is designed for students pursuing a three-year Post ‘O’ Level Mathematics pre-
service Diploma in Education following a 3-3-3 model(3 initial residential terms, 3attachment
teaching practice terms and 3 final residential terms). It seeks to develop effective teachers who
can teach Mathematics at lower and middle levels of the secondary school. The course intends
to produce a Mathematics teacher who understands, interprets and responds to the ever-changing
educational environment. It will also develop knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for
innovation and industrialization through the heritage based philosophy. Content covered will be
up to first year university level. The course is taken together with the Applied Mathematics
course.
2.0. AIMS
The course aims to:
2.1 expose Mathematics student teachers to a wide range of experience and computations
in Pure Mathematics;
2.2 develop Mathematics teachers who appreciate the value of an intellectual
mastery of Geometrical and Analytical concepts;
2.3 produce Mathematics teachers who are aware of, and are able to apply
Calculus processes in everyday life;
2.4 produce competent Mathematics teachers who understand how children
acquire and develop Pure Mathematical concepts;
2.5 produce Mathematics teachers who understand and appreciate the wider
application of Mathematics and its linkage to other disciplines;
2.6 produce student teachers who place more emphasis on the process rather than
the product in the teaching and learning of Mathematics;
2.7 produce Mathematics teachers that can integrate I.C.T in the teaching and
learning of Mathematics; and
2.8 to assess students through assignments, tests and exams.
1
3.0 OBJECTIVES
Student teachers should be able to:
3.1 demonstrate an understanding of fundamental Calculus concepts,
methods and skills in solving real life situations;
3.2 recognize the deductive/inductive nature of Pure Mathematics;
3.3 demonstrate an understanding of and skill in the use of Mathematical
language for communicating ideas;
3.4 relate Mathematics to real life situations;
3.5 display logical thinking in solving Mathematical problems;
3.6 show the interrelationship between various branches of Mathematics;
3.7 display skill in the use of modeling and other Calculus methods in the solution of
problems;
3.8 establish the unifying power of Algebraic structures and Mathematical
generalization;
3.9 initiate Mathematical activity themselves by investigating open ended
situations;
3.10 evaluate critically school textbooks as they use them as resources;
3.11 cope with new ideas in Mathematics;
3.12 use learner-centered approaches;
3.13 demonstrate an understanding of the current themes in Mathematical pedagogics
through an application of these in the teaching and learning of the subject;
3.14 integrate I.C.T. in the teaching and learning of Mathematics; and
3.15 apply mathematical modelling in addressing environmental issues.
4.0 CONTENT
4.1 PURE MATHEMATICS
4.1.1 CALCULUS AND ANALYTIC GEOMETRY
4.1.1.1 COMPLEX NUMBERS – First year term 1
4.1.1.1.1 Complex number, definition, notation
4.1.1.1.2 Algebraic operations with Complex numbers
4.1.1.1.3 Argand Diagram
4.1.1.1.4 De Moivre’s Theorem and applications
4.1.1.1.5 Roots of Complex Numbers
4.1.1.2 DIFFERENTIAL AND INTEGRAL CALCULUS - First year term 2
4.1.1.2.1Limits and continuity of functions of one variable
2
4.1.1.2.2 Laws of limits, continuity and differentiability
4.1.1.2.3 Integration
4.1.1.2.4 Integration methods; by parts, by substitution and reduction
formulae
4.1.1.2.5 Sketching simple curves
4.1.1.3 PLANE ANALYTIC GEOMETRY – First Year Term 3
4.1.1.3.1 Conic sections in general
4.1.1.3.2 Circle
4.1.1.3.3 Parabola
4.1.1.3.4 Ellipse
4.1.1.3.5 Hyperbola
4.1.1.4 CIRCULAR AND HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS - Teaching Practice +
Assignment
4.1.1.4.1 Definitions and identities of hyperbolic functions
4.1.1.4.2 Derivatives and integrals of hyperbolic function.
4.1.1.4.3The inverse circular function
4.1.1.4.4 The inverse hyperbolic function
4.1.1.4.5 Standard integrals related to circular and
hyperbolic
functions
4.1.1.5 SERIES- Third year term 1
4.1.1.5.1 Mathematical induction
4.1.1.5.2 Infinite series and convergence criteria
4.1.1.5.3 Power series, the theorems of Tylor and
Maclaurin
4.1.1.5.4 Lagrange’s remainder formula and applications
4.1.1.6 DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS – Third year term 2
4.1.1.6.1 First order: variable separable homogeneous
exact and linear
4.1.1.6.2 Integrating factor
4.1.1.6.3 Second order reducible to first order
4.1.1.6. 4 Homogeneous linear equations
4.1.1.6.5 Non-homogeneous linear equations
4.1.1.6.6 Population dynamics and related problems
4.1.1.6.7 Approximating solutions of differential equations
REVISION AND EXAMINATIONS- Third Year Term 3
4.1.2 ALGEBRA
3
4.1.2.1 BASIC ALGEBRA – First year term 1
4.1.2.1.1 Sets: types, operations, relations between sets; number
systems as subsets and powerset; Venn diagrams and their
uses
4.1.2.1.2 Number bases: four operations in different bases;
conversion from one base to the other
4.1.2.1.3 Loci in 2 and 3 dimensions
4.1.2.1.4 Symmetry: point, rotational and line symmetry in 2 and 3
dimension polygons and solids
4.1.2.1.5 Similarity and congruency: relationship between areas and
volumes of similar figures including solids
4.1.2.1.6 Transformations: isometric and non-isometric;
transformation matrices
4.1.2.1.7 Variation: direct, inverse, joint and partial,
graphical representation interpretation
4.1.2.2 RELATIONS AND OPERATIONS- First year term 1
4.1.2.3.1 Properties of relations, diagraphs
4.1.2.3.2 Types of relations, reflexive, symmetric, transitive and
equivalence
4.1.2.3.3 Equivalence classes
4.1.2.3.4 Simple modulo arithmetic
4.1.2.3.5 Function: notion of a function; composition of function
4.1.2.3 MATRICES AND SYSTEMS OF LINEAR EQUATIONS- First year term 2
4.1.2.3.1 Matrices and matrix operations: addition, subtraction,
multiplication by a scalar
4.1.2.3.2 Solution of 2x2 and 3x3 matrices: identity, determinant and
inverse
4.1.2.3.3 Nature and solution of linear equations up to 3 unknowns
using matrices: row transformations; Gauss elimination
method, inverse method; Cramer’s rule; triangular
decomposition
4.1.2.3.4 Transformations: isometric and non-isometric; transformation
matrices.
4.1.2.4 LINEAR PROGRAMMING- First Year Term 3
4.1.2.4.1 Inequalities: the number line, open and closed intervals
4.1.2.4.2 Solution of linear and quadratic inequalities: graphical and
simplex method
4
4.1.2.4.3 Linear programming and applications in industry and
Commerce
4.1.2.5 VECTORS IN 2-SPACE AND 3-SPACE -Teaching practice + assignment
4.1.2.5.1 Types of vectors: position, free
4.1.2.5.2 Vector arithmetic and norm of a vector; use of these in proving
equivalence, parallelism and incidence in rectilinear figures
and geometry
4.1.2.5.3 Dot and cross product and their applications
4.1.2.5.4 Equations of a straight line and plane in terms of vectors
4.1.2.6 BOOLEAN ALGEBRA - Third year term 1
4.1.2.6.1 Algebra of propositions.
4.1.2.6.2 Boolean algebra of sets: commutative, associative,
distributive, idempotent, involution, De Morgan’s laws,
complement and identity laws
4.1.2.6.3 Algebra of switching circuits
4.1.2.6.4 Venn diagrams and arguments
4.1.2.7 GROUPS-Third year term 2
` 4.1.2.7.1 Binary operations: axioms and fundamental properties of
Algebra: closure, commutativity, associativity, identity element,
inverse element, distributivity
4.1.2.7.2 Group structure: axioms and fundamental properties
4.1.2.7.3 Cyclic groups, Abelian groups, subgroups
4.1.2.7.4 Cosets, LaGrange`s theorem
4.1.2.7.5 Isomorphism between groups
REVISION AND EXAMINATIONS- Third Year Term 3
4.3 MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
4.3.1 Errors and misconception
4.3.2 Mathematical patterns
4.3.3 Mathematical proofs
4.3.4 Recreational mathematics
4.3.5 Principles of teaching algebra, locus, vectors and transformation
4.3.6 Communication
4.3.7 Connection
4.3.8 Problem solving and
4.3.9 Reasoning
5
5.0 LEARNING APPROACHES/STRATEGIES
5.1 Lectures
5.2 Individual study
5.3 Co-operative learning in groups and pairs
5.4 Micro teaching
5.5 Peer teaching
5.6 Individual and group assignments
5.7 Tests, tasks and exercises
5.8 Research studies
5.9 Field trips
5.10 Resource persons
5.11 Case studies
5.12 Online and Distance Learning
5.13 Guided discovery learning
6.0 ASSESSMENT:
Students will be assessed in two major disciplines: Pure Mathematics
(Calculus & Analytic geometry and Algebra) and Mathematics
Education.
6.1.0 COURSEWORK: Weighting: 50%
6.1.1 Four tests from Pure Mathematics and Two tests from
Mathematics Education. All the work is for Final year.
6.1.2 Two Distance Assignments from Pure Mathematics.
6.1.3 Course work is passed at 50%.
6.2.0. EXAMINATION: Weighting: 50%
6.2.1 Pure Mathematics: Paper 1- Algebra, Calculus and
Analytic Geometry (3hours)
6.2.2 Mathematics Education: 3 hour paper consisting of two
sections A and B.
6.2.3 Examinations should be passed at 50%.
6.3.0 OVERALL WEIGHTING
6
Coursework 50%
Examination 50%
Total 100%
