Educator’s mathematical pedagogical beliefs play a huge role in developing children’s early year’s numeracy and their achievement in mathematics. One of the mathematical pedagogical that I believed that is, children construct their own mathematical knowledge through play (Perry & Dockett, 2007). According to EYLF, play-based learning has always been a significance factor of early childhood education (DEEWR, 2009). For many children, mathematics can be a torture but play was always something they loved. Incorporating mathematical concepts through play rather than being taught in isolation can ease children’s anxiety towards mathematics (Perry & Dockett, 2007). Educator identify the mathematical concepts that they are seeking to teach, set up
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According to EYLF, learning occurs in social contexts and social interactions are essential for learning mathematics (DEEWR, 2009). A cooperative learning experience provides children the emotional and practical support and helps children to see themselves as mathematical learners (Peterson, Fennema, Carpenter & Loef, 1989). Children are engaged in the task, exchanging and experimenting ideas, respecting and reflecting on others opinions and assisting each other to achieve the goal. For example, in Canterbury Children’s Cottage, educator set up a café corner, children can have role play of running the café and being the customer. This cooperative learning experience provides children the opportunities to learn the concept of money, counting the money while paying also making the food according to the order. During the social interactions, children will naturally develop mathematical languages like, “I want two pies”, “The pie is five dollars”, building their logical thinking and solve problems involving …show more content…
According to Vygotsky, children can perform more complex and difficult mathematics tasks with the help of a more advanced individual, extending their zone of proximal development (Berger, 2005). By pairing up children at different developmental points, children that are more advanced in a certain mathematical concept are able to reinforce and reflect on their knowledge. The cooperative learning experience will also enhance children that are less advanced with their mathematics skills as some children are shy and more likely to get help from their peers instead of the educator. Both high- and low- achieving children will be benefited from the interaction of cooperative learning (Berger, 2005). Slavin’s research found that 89% of the student in 50 different studies agreed that they are enjoying mathematics more in cooperative learning settings rather than traditional format of learning experiences (Nattiv, 1994). Those students explained that they are more engaged when they are taught “helping behaviors”, for example, explaining and asking help from peers (Nattiv, 1994). The peer influences in a cooperative learning will improves children’s participation level, boosts their confidence in their abilities of mathematics and lead to a higher academic performance of mathematics (Andersen,
According to EYLF, learning occurs in social contexts and social interactions are essential for learning mathematics (DEEWR, 2009). A cooperative learning experience provides children the emotional and practical support and helps children to see themselves as mathematical learners (Peterson, Fennema, Carpenter & Loef, 1989). Children are engaged in the task, exchanging and experimenting ideas, respecting and reflecting on others opinions and assisting each other to achieve the goal. For example, in Canterbury Children’s Cottage, educator set up a café corner, children can have role play of running the café and being the customer. This cooperative learning experience provides children the opportunities to learn the concept of money, counting the money while paying also making the food according to the order. During the social interactions, children will naturally develop mathematical languages like, “I want two pies”, “The pie is five dollars”, building their logical thinking and solve problems involving …show more content…
According to Vygotsky, children can perform more complex and difficult mathematics tasks with the help of a more advanced individual, extending their zone of proximal development (Berger, 2005). By pairing up children at different developmental points, children that are more advanced in a certain mathematical concept are able to reinforce and reflect on their knowledge. The cooperative learning experience will also enhance children that are less advanced with their mathematics skills as some children are shy and more likely to get help from their peers instead of the educator. Both high- and low- achieving children will be benefited from the interaction of cooperative learning (Berger, 2005). Slavin’s research found that 89% of the student in 50 different studies agreed that they are enjoying mathematics more in cooperative learning settings rather than traditional format of learning experiences (Nattiv, 1994). Those students explained that they are more engaged when they are taught “helping behaviors”, for example, explaining and asking help from peers (Nattiv, 1994). The peer influences in a cooperative learning will improves children’s participation level, boosts their confidence in their abilities of mathematics and lead to a higher academic performance of mathematics (Andersen,