Mathematics Department

The courses offered by the mathematics department help Illiana Christian students to live the Christian life by:

1.  giving them an opportunity to develop a language, a set of symbols or tools for functioning competently in God's kingdom as a child of God and as a citizen of the world.

2.  giving them an opportunity to develop problem-solving techniques, since problem solving is an integral part of subduing the earth.  This involves problem recognition arising out of curiosity as well as a language for analyzing and synthesizing data and communicating results and making decisions.

3.  giving them an opportunity to develop different modes of thinking from the intuitive to the inductive to the deductive.

4. helping them to see the magnificence of God's creation with its perfect order which gives rise to man's ability to be orderly in his thinking and working.  This ability helps one to discover much in creation for the benefit of self and others but especially for the glory of God.

5.  helping them to see the many forms, shapes, symmetries and designs inherent in creation which men have studied and found aesthetically pleasing as well as useful in much of the world's work.

6.  helping them to exercise the logic that is necessary for assembling a convincing proof which is the basis for any kind of convincing argument.

7.  showing them the necessity for precision and accuracy in dealing with facts and data for arriving at meaningful conclusions.

8.  developing a subject day by day with a regular, orderly systematic approach emphasizing rigor and discipline, quality performance, and responsible work habits.

9.  developing a subject where knowledge and proficiency may open doors of opportunity in the natural sciences, social sciences, business world, industry and technology and many vocations and professions where one can find a place to serve God and man.

10.  showing them that by working with numbers, patterns, shapes, and forms of different dimensions one can find satisfaction and accomplishment in thinking through a problem and finding answers.

11.  using technology responsibly by developing proficiency in the use of graphing calculators to aid in problem solving.

12.  satisfying the different needs and abilities of students by offering courses at various levels of depth and difficulty.

All students are required to pass two units (2 full-year courses) to meet the math graduation requirement.   (Most four-year colleges require successful completion of three (3) years of high school math.)  Freshmen are assigned to one of the following tracks by the math department on the basis of junior high performance and confirmed by the EXPLORE test.