Week 12:

Numeracy: The classroom that math built: Encouraging young mathematicians to pose problems

Literacy: Writing Critically

Both readings focus on the literacy and numeracy used among mathematics and critical literacy for young children. They both interest me as it is intriguing how different educators structure there early learning of mathematics and critical literacy. Both readings enhanced the fact that critical literacy and mathematical thinking is an important element within the numeracy and literacy curriculum. By introducing critical literacy and thinking and mathematical thinking into a young child’s early learning it can have a positive effect towards their future studies.

As an educator we need to ensure that we enforce critical thinking and to provide the children with several options and to ensure we are not providing the children with something that may include gender discrimination, stereotypes, racism and many other aspect. Many students at a young age may not pick up on those issues used within a text weather it is in a book or a video, or television show. Visual and language for the early learning of critical thinking and mathematics is important as it can construct events and people. Therefore I will provide the children with as many resources as I can to ensure the children have access to critical writing and thinking and mathematical thinking. Through this it will enhance a hands on approach and to provide authentic learning activities for the young children.

I believe both readings provided great strategies, as both focused on hands-on activities, which I believe is one of the best learning strategies for young children. I will take the advice and apply it to my practice with birth to 4 year olds, as I will provide the children with plenty of story’s and movies along with providing them with pattern blocks, counters, linking cubes, counters and many other resources.

References:

Wallace, A., Abbott, D. & McAlhaney Blary, R. (2007). The classroom that math built: Encouraging young mathematicians to pose problems. Young Children, September, 42-46

Wilson, L. (20060. Writing critically. Writing to live: How to teach writing for today’s work. (pp.11-43). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

week 11

Week 11:

Numeracy: Early Numbers

Literacy: The Effects of Feature-Label-Order and Their Implications for Symbolic Learning

I have chosen two very different yet very similar readings to reflect upon and to gain knowledge from as I felt they both caught my interest. The focus of literacy through the use of symbolic was intriguing as it was new information for me, along with the use of early numbers through the use of symbolic learning.  The learning of early numbers for birth to 4 year olds is generally the numbers 1-10, which can be taught through a variety of symbolic learning strategies. Classification, patterning, counting, group recognition, conservation of numbers, number benchmarks, to then lead into numerals and the different types of numbers. Throughout these strategies there are different stages, which will suit the different level of students, therefore as I am an educator for birth to 4 years of age I will be focusing on the very early learning of numeracy. Within this reading not only stated the different strategies however it used each strategies in context with symbols that are use by many educators and children, which I believe it can have a significant impact on enhancing the child’s early learning by incorporating it with elements they use on a daily basis.  Humans use and intensify symbolic thought and characteristics throughout out their entire life as we are surrounded with them. Symbolic characteristics can be thought to be of something different to each individual. Therefore within the early learning of birth to 4 year olds, it will appear automatically as children will identify different things and will all have a different symbolic thinking. Therefore as an educator we need to recognize and understand that all children may identify different elements. Symbolic elements and thinking will appear in both numeracy and literacy, as mathematic symbolic elements can be graphs or pictures of dot representing a number sequence along with many other strategies.  Along with the use of symbols in early literacy learning, can be pictures describing a word or the use of a code and many other strategies.

As an early educator it is important that I incorporate the use of symbols into the learning of numeracy and literacy, which can be done a variety of ways. I may choose to use blocks as a symbol to identify a simple math’s equation and basic numbers. Children I believe will naturally engage in activities involving symbolic thinking as I believe it allows students to be creative as there is no wrong or write way in order to solve the symbols and there meanings.

References:

Ramscar, M. Yarlett, D., Dye, M., Denny, K. & Thorpe, K. (2010). The effects of feature-label-order and their implications for symbolic learning. Cognitive Science, 34(6), 909-957.

Zeuenbergen, R., Dole, S. & Wright, R. (2004). Early number, Teaching mathematics in primary schools (pp. 121-148). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Week 10 entry

Numeracy: Young children’s access to powerful mathematical ideas.

Literacy: Readers as text code breakers

I have chosen the two readings as they both explore the importance and provide readers with strategies has to how to play a part in a young child learning. The reading based around text coding provided questions and activities for the readers as to ways and how to read text codes. Text codes can be an important learning strategy for young children and as educators as we can provide and or identify through the use of text codes a child’s thoughts. I felt this corresponded well with the article based around young children and how important mathematics can be and how it can be incorporated through the child’s everyday living. Both articles expressed how adults could have a positive influence towards the child’s early learning of numeracy and literacy through both the notions of mathematics and text code breakers. The key message from both readings is the importance of mathematics and its ideas and explains how young children can access theses ideas. Furthermore the literacy reading based around text code breakers emphasizes the fact that they draw on a range of strategies as they decode, predict, confirm, self-correct, and monitor the sense the children are making from the in particular text. Through the process of text code breakers its focuses on the examining aspects of phonological awareness and development, and print and word awareness in relations to young children. An interesting aspect based around the element of mathematics in a young child’s early learning is that technology can be used as a learning tool to provide early numeracy learning. Therefore from the readings I can take this information and adapt it into my education theories as I now have a greater understanding around text code breaking and mathematics through technology and the peers around the child. In regards to the text code breaking as an educator I can either use it to provide an exercise for the young children and or I can use it as an examining tool towards the children. Along with the numeracy I can use the information to provide the child’s parents with some basic knowledge as to how there input can play a role in there child’s learning. I will also be able to adapt technology into educating the children early learning of numeracy through a range of systemic mathematical programs available for educators.  Overall both articles provided me with sufficient knowledge based around the early learning of numeracy and literacy for young children.

References:

Harris, P., Turbill, J., Fitzsimmons, P. & McKenzie, B. (2006). Readers as text code breakers, Reading in the Primary School years (pp. 114-158). South Melbourne: Social Science Press.

Perry, B., & Dockett, S. (2008). Young children’s access to powerful mathematical ideas. In L. D. English (Ed.), Handbook of international research in mathematics education (2^nd ed). NY: Routledge

Week 9

Importance of Mathematics and Storytelling:

Week 9

Reading Response

Numeracy: Mathematical Process

Literacy: Young children as storytellers

I chose both readings as I felt they both expressed the importance of mathematics and the use of storytelling in a young child’s early learning of numeracy and literacy. Both readings supported their statements through findings and what interested me was that they had incorporated the children’s work and what they had created through the storytelling activity. It was of interest to me that they both stated that mathematics and story telling is a core subject that should be of a main focus in early years learning. Both readings stress the important aspect that mathematics and storytelling should be integrated into symbolic play and through interesting structured hands on activities. And at the end of the day to provide a rich early learning of numeracy and literacy it stressed that mathematics should not be isolated as it generally can be due to many automatically feel that it will be boring. Storytelling can be incorporated in a variety of ways; self-recorded stories, adult-recorded stories and or as simple as symbolic play through the children.

From the findings from the two readings it gave me great knowledge based around how important mathematics and storytelling can be on a young child’s numeracy and literacy early learning. Not all of the knowledge was new to me however it has reaffirmed the importance of mathematics and storytelling. It has provided me with strategies and a variety of different ways in which I can include the elements into learning and to still create a fun and interesting rich environment for the young children. As I was aware and I do believe that these elements are of significant importance in a young child’s learning the findings in the readings therefore supported the knowledge that I already had based around the two topics. However as an educator I can now express the importance of mathematics and the different ways in which we can include storytelling into our daily education structure.

References:

Hall, N. (1998). Young children as storytellers. In R. Campbell (Eds.), Facilitating preschool literacy (pp. 84-99). Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association.

Sarama, J. & Clements, D. (2009). Mathematical processes. Early childhood mathematics education research: Learning trajectories for young children (pp. 335-346). New York: Routledge.

Numeracy: Promoting the Development of Young Children’s mathematical and analogical reasoning. Literacy: Talk to Me Baby! Supporting Language Development in the First 3 Years.

Readings:

Numeracy: Promoting the Development of Young Children’s mathematical and analogical reasoning.

Literacy: Talk to Me Baby! Supporting Language Development in the First 3 Years.

I was extremely interested in the article based around promoting the development of young children’s mathematical and analogical reasoning as they addressed an interesting study based around a “challenging” approach instead of a “play”, and “drill” approach where children will generally complete workbook activities and work sheets. Therefore the “challenging” approach intrigued me as throughout my experience with educators and their teaching approach, I have analyzed that a lot of them base education and learning around work sheets and the use of workbooks.  From this point it lead into the reading based around supporting young children in there first 3 years of age of there language development as I felt the two articles could intertwine. I chose this article as it leads to address the aspect of how important talking with young children is at a young age and how beneficial it can be towards the development of the child’s language.  I felt both articles provided studies and strategies, which could provide a future educator like me with a quality base of knowledge.

The challenging approach involved children to be engaged in significant and intellectually engaging mathematic activities, which provides a early learning of rich numeracy for young children. I felt this related with the importance of the early learning of literacy through the use of communication around children at the age of birth to 3 years old. They both express the learning of numeracy and literacy through engaging and interactive strategies. As stated many educated numeracy through the use of work sheets and books along with many believe that talking toys and or videos can be the best strategies for the development of early literacy. However as stated within the article numeracy through the “challenging” approach can provide a rich and fun environment for the development of numeracy, which they have specifically describe through the learning and development of mathematics. Furthermore the development of early language can be best developed through the process of educators and adults talking to babies. Through the use of communication it promotes rich language acquisition for babies and young children aged birth to 3 years old.

The two articles based around numeracy and literacy provided me as a future educator with knowledge based around strategies and appropriate approaches to use to provide young children with a rich numeracy and literacy learning. Furthermore I will implement the knowledge into my practice through the use of the challenging approach where I will provide the young children with activities, which provide a challenge, and to allow them to learn through a challenging activity however it will still provide a fun-learning environment for the young children. Furthermore I now understand the importance of communication with young children and babies, which will allow me to explore and emphasize more one on one-communication activities with babies and young children within learning centers.

References:

Bardige, B. & Bardige, M. (2008). Talk to me, baby! Supporting language development in the first 3 years. Zero to Three, September, 4-10.

English, L. D. (2004). Promoting the development of young children’s mathematical and analogical reasoning. In L. D. English (Ed.), Mathematical and analogical reasoning of young learners (201-214). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.