Charles Darwin University: ECL523 Mathematics with Young Children

This assignment explores the effective teaching strategies for enhancing young children's mathematical development through play, inquiry, and problem-solving. It delves into curricula, learning progressions, and the attitudes and beliefs of early mathematics educators. The assignment covers play-based mathematical learning, practices and pedagogies to support mathematical learning, and the resources available. It also addresses assessment and planning for mathematical learning in early childhood education settings. The content emphasizes the importance of an engaging climate for children to develop mathematical skills, the use of emergent curriculum approaches, and the significance of the Early Years Learning Framework. Key topics include early mathematical development, play-based learning, and integrating mathematics into caregiving routines. The assignment also highlights the role of educators in fostering learning opportunities, creating teaching standards, and assessing children's mathematical progress. References to relevant research and studies are included to support the findings and recommendations. The document provides a comprehensive overview of the core concepts, teaching methods, and strategies for supporting the mathematical development of young children.

Running head: MATHEMATICS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
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STUDENT NAME:
STUDENT ID:
TOPIC: MATHEMATICS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
DATE: 22-08-2019

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Topic 1 Early mathematical development: Curricula and learning progressions.........................................3
Topic 2 Attitudes and beliefs of early mathematics educators....................................................................6
Topic 3 Play-based mathematical learning..................................................................................................7
Topic 4 Practices and pedagogies to support mathematical learning.........................................................8
Topic 5 Resources to support mathematical learning...............................................................................10
Topic 6 Assessment and planning for mathematical learning...................................................................10
References.................................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Children’s learning in the first six years of life is effectively demonstrated with importance in
mathematics. There should be an engaging climate which helps to encounter and develop the use
of mathematics in young children. An emergent curriculum approach is based while teaching
mathematics to young children. A major focus on educational programs is ensured with ECEC
settings that is early childhood education and care. Belonging being is ensured with the early
years learning framework that is effectively addressed while specifically targeting the young
children importance of mathematics. As such teachers ensure to foster the learning opportunities
that help to create and organize teaching standards of mathematics and ensure daily activities to
be performed in teaching (Anne & Trevor, 2013). There is a particular level of competence
which deals in teaching mathematical knowledge and operations. Beliefs and attitudes towards
mathematical knowledge and operations are observed and young children’s attitude towards
mathematics is observed. Mathematical symbols and languages are addressed while using
learning patterns of teaching and communicating towards the behavioral markers in early
childhood.
Topic 1 Early mathematical development: Curricula and learning
progressions
There is a challenge that is intentional towards teaching mathematical concepts that ensure a
compounded and minimal response to teach mathematics to children in the first six years of life.
The mathematics professional development subject is the major focus on implementation studies
to the learning-based systems. Several kinds of hindrances aim in teaching young children,
Pedagogical strategies and intent of mathematical ideas are the major important factor that
ensures a personal level of competence in teaching mathematics. At times there is personal
mathematics anxiety that is felt by mathematical experts while should be controlled. There is
uncertainty that is addressed in teaching which should be avoided. A mathematical teacher
should work on formal and informal ways of teaching which should be thoughtful and will
ensure pedagogical knowledge in teaching. Implementing the knowledge of teaching
mathematics, teachers should work on standards of teaching, preparing curriculum and
addressing ways of teaching (Clements & Sarama, 2009). There should be a dosage,
responsiveness, differentiation, control, adaptation and continuum flow of teaching that is

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rigorous and should ensure teaching methods. There is a range of factors that are internal and
external factors that need to be controlled over a period which is valid in understanding the far
higher changes that are required in teaching. Assessment, measurement and controlling the ways
of mathematical teaching is essential which needs to be ensured and emphasized. Multiple case
implementation studies need to be analyzed and ensured such as teaching geometry, operations,
data collection, etc formally. The number sequence, number clothesline, toy box, lost button,
clown line-up, and other aspects need to be studied similarly.
Young children learn mathematics while focusing on several activities such as adapting nursery
rhymes in the early years and stories that help in teaching mathematics. This is the best way of
engaging students in learning aspects. Introducing stories and working on mathematics lessons is
the prime concept of teaching. This helps to connect students and teachers immediately. Working
on several concepts that help to build knowledge and interest of young children is the key role of
teachers. Nursery rhymes provide a context to mathematical task. Real-world contexts are
explored in the activities as young children learn to accept the language of mathematics. Another
strategy that engages is the observational method. Some students grasp mathematics and apply
the concepts in real-world life while determining numerical as the way to ensure number game.
Proficiency strands are introduced that includes fluency, problem-solving, reasoning, etc. The
relationship of proficiency and content is equally measured which leads to thinking and working
on mathematics. Six years of students are typically in class 1 or 2. This means a grouping series
tend to ensure the content and exposure of mathematical concepts of teaching numeric and tables
(Clarke & Clarke, 2012).
A sense of number, sequence, order, and pattern is developed by teachers to engage in learning
aspects of mathematics. Learning mathematics is vital in these years as it provides awareness
about numbers and helps to understand the attributes of objects. The understanding revolves
around the representation and activities undertaken to improve direction and awareness of
mathematical standards. Movement, direction, presentation, data collection, attributes of objects,
quantities of measurement, chance events, etc are predicted within the learning standards.
Experiences and understanding of early year childhood are prime factors that provide foundation
of statistics, algebraic and multiplicative thinking. These are the concepts that are developed by
stepwise. There are basic mathematical questions that need to be addressed while identifying the

MATHEMATICS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
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strategies and investigating the solutions for each problem. A reasoning power is built among
young children that help them to achieve the goal of learning mathematical concepts in early
childhood. Meaningful problems are solved while calculating the attributes and explaining the
importance of attributes. These aspects of mathematics help in building mathematical questions
and identifying simple strategies that help to strengthen and solve the problems with
predictions.
Early years learning framework requires educators to ensure intentional teaching in several
pedagogical practices. The major context is to focus on the model of mathematical concept sand
support children to help in understanding the ideas and range of experience in mathematics. The
support to children in the learning of mathematical concepts such as numeracy skills is an
important aspect. While imposed educational change tends to ensure trepidation in the terms. For
early childhood practitioners, it is important to focus on teaching methods and ideas in
mathematics. There is a major shift that is required in learning the aspects which need to be
categorized as per the anecdotal evidence. Some beliefs are shaped in years about teaching
expects. As such the major shift is observed in educators systematic planning and change are
embraced by teachers and students. However, anecdotal evidence is based on teaching in early
childhood which is the major setting that is prioritized and reflected in teaching. To teach
mathematics is the skill that the educators should have while there should be a high level of
experience in teaching in this regard. There is a value that ensures building ideas that help in
mathematical teaching. These skills and values help in addressing the child’s way of
understanding and observing things (Clarke & Clarke, 2012). This review is about thinking
mathematically and ensuring informal early childhood learning attributes. A great variation is
observed while teaching mathematics to early childhood which is masters with number skills and
formal education skills. Children from middle class tend to master the numeracy while working
on formal education and trajectory basis. An entire way of ensuring teaching in early childhood
is different. Some fortunate peers have mastered the skills of mathematics and tend to focus on
mathematics opportunities. There is a basic level of understanding and sensing the kindergarten
study. There are no learning targets for educators in the early years learning framework. As such,
there is no specific strategy that is applied in teaching mathematics.

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Australian Curriculum Mathematics aims at building the draft for young children and working on
a fundamental aim to educate students and achieve interpretation in world mathematics. Several
priorities ensure the decisions of teaching mathematics in a particular curriculum. It helps to
practice, study and enable disciplines. There are substantial scientific issues while raising public
opinion in terms of examining and interpreting mathematical perspectives. The four terms that
are used in the mathematical curriculum are content strands, proficiency strands, topics, and
numeracy.
Content strands include three contents such as number and algebra, statistics and probability and
measurement and geometry. The content strand of number and algebra are taught to young
children. The early year students will help engage in the representations of relationships and
work on numbers rather than geometry and statistics. The proficiency strand includes
understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning. Typically students from 5-8 years are in
K-2 class. Power mathematical ideas can be accessed by students that ensures relevance
standards and learning aspects. Sense of number, pattern, and sequence is addressed in this age.
Topic 2 Attitudes and beliefs of early mathematics educators
Certain philosophies, beliefs, and attitudes reflect education. This ensures effective teaching and
considers learning practice. Educators need to focus on the approach that is best for young
children’s teaching mathematics and developing skills. The approach needs to be fulfilled within
a specific parameter that helps in understanding the professional concepts and teaching methods.
The core focus is towards positive relationships with children in an early childhood setting. It is
important that creating a caring community of learners should focus on this framework. There is
a fundamental belief that is addressed with emotional wellbeing and educational experience
(Chen, McCray, Adams & Leow, 2014). A child’s emotional and social upgradation is very
important and at the same time, it is crucial as it helps and impacts the level of learning and
engagement in the teaching field. With the help of this framework, the importance of competent
learners attributes and beliefs is addressed with problem-solving techniques and ideas. There is a
direct influence that helps to develop mathematical understanding.
The beliefs include the approach to learning and teaching aspect. A significant role of the
educator is to provide a good environment that includes psychological, physical and cognitive

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aspect which supports the scaffolds and ensures endeavors that explore the major learning
attributes. Make-believe play is a learning tool that is used to focus on facilitating elements of
framework and relationships that engage in teaching and personal support children to achieve
deeper level learning. An educator needs to assist children and ensure positive dispositions that
include cooperation, curiosity, creativity, commitment, confidence and imagination level. Some
skills and processes help in solving problems and ensure experimentation and research that
derive investigation and provide a strong foundation in early childhood teaching.
Creating a caring community of learning is a specific framework that ensures communication,
respect, supportive base, self-regulation, problem-solving, purpose ownership and
communication. A child’s emotional, social and cognitive development is secured when the
focus is on the initial development and supportive nature of teachers. To work on math moments
and gather relevant information that is important in early childhood development is the key role
that educators play while fostering child education. Children are effective observers thereby they
have an interest in considering mathematics language into the problem-solving technique. There
is a co-constructive element that addresses the ideas and links a child’s interest in studying
mathematics (MacDonald, 2019). Play and group time activities include sharing effective
opportunities that ensure engaging students in learning attributes. Math is like literacy and it
considers the fundamental aspect of teaching and working on opportunities that try to solve
problems and arrive in working on math concepts. With young children, a link of engaging ideas
of mathematics and reflecting the opportunities to gain mathematics conversations tend to ensure
planning aspects that support the role of educators. A particular strategy is addressed that
assesses the understanding of numbers with images and sketches to recognize the numbers.
Topic 3 Play-based mathematical learning
The primary focus of educators is to ensure play-based mathematics activities that ensure a
review of research and address in the growth of children’s mathematics understanding. It helps in
regards to six years child in building several concepts of mathematics such as sequence and
number words. Play-based mathematical learning is an activity that ensures big ideas and tends
to focus on achieving big ideas of mathematics. It is majorly a mathematical concept
underpinning activity that provides educators to work on learning outcomes which address the

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understanding of mathematical concepts to children in a step by step process. There is a
handbook that is provided which enacts the activities in terms of educators level of thinking.
Educators use the models and ensure that each of the concepts of teaching is focused importantly
on several questions that are asked by students to support them in development activities (Vogt,
2018). The play-based mathematical learning includes several questions such as the number of
red cubes and blue cubes in a bowl or counting which of the cubes are more and deciding on the
numbers. The main focus of the play-based mathematical learning is to enact the major activities
that are important in learning basis of mathematics. There is no specific time limit in this area to
the educators it may depend on the inclusion criteria of students. The inclusion of equipment
used in the activity is based on educators teaching method which emerges the level of
understanding and support to children. There is a drop back activity and warm-up activity while
conducting these activities that helps in providing the core concept of operations and activities.
These are challenging and pay great attention to educating a child to learn-based activities. Each
educator tends to ensure necessary props that are needed in working on the activity. There are
consultation and training that is provided to educators while working on these activities.
Improved techniques and implementation of teaching method leads to one to one training to
educators and offers participation that takes place in support of material usage and equipment.
These activities ensure children’s learning outcomes and tend to improve cognitive skills. The
conceptual framework of studying the importance of mathematics activities is to ask children
several questions and ensure the level of reasoning and analysis. This tends to believe that there
is an inference that is provided in teaching and tends to exposure the mathematics activities with
subsequent learning outcomes (Cohrssen, Tayler & Cloney, 2013). There is a validated measure
of studying cognition and achieving learning attributes. Play-based learning is an activity that
works on standards and explicit measures to focus on equipped knowledge and emerging
concepts of mathematics.
Topic 4 Practices and pedagogies to support mathematical learning
Early childhood mathematics teaching requires educators to improve teaching with the help of
numbers and work on intentional teaching with pedagogical practice. However, this helps
educators to focus on mathematical language and ensure young children’s thinking ability in
terms of solving problems, analysis, understanding patterns and making choices. Mathematical

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language is taught with several resources and practices. There is a range of experiences that
largely focus on the development of children. The numeracy skills are developed here while the
educational changes are focused for early childhood teaching. Practitioners teach preschool
children that have a major shift while working on pedagogical practices. Most educators do not
change the teaching pattern as it is unlikely to make changes with systematic planning and
change. There is anecdotal evidence in the education field that has care settings for early
childhood teaching and reflects the teaching method (Varol & Farran, 2006). The value of
teaching practices enriches a child’s way of learning and understanding. Thinking
mathematically is the ultimate means of informal early childhood setting. There are established
standards of teaching that are reflected in the Australian Curriculum framework. Basic number
skills are taught to children in early childhood so that the mathematics opportunities are wide and
number experiences are indicative with the basic number sense in kindergarten. A six-year child
learns basic mathematics of counting with the mathematical teaching method that is best for
children.
There is a challenge that reflects teaching mathematics to early childhood. There is a minimum
amount of preparation that is required in teaching within mathematics. To teach the subject there
is no such compulsion activity. Mathematics professional development ensures numeracy skills.
There are broad learning outcomes that can be assured with the Early Years Learning
Framework. As such there are no learning targets that are forced to educators. Specific
pedagogical strategies for teaching mathematics is not constrained. As such, there is a layer of
anxiety that is felt in teaching which needs to be controlled (Greig, 2012). The mathematical
ideas that are reflected assure the informal settings that are relevant in teaching informal settings.
Mathematical teachings and possibilities are different but the standards used in teaching are
similar. The Australian curriculum is followed which indicates numerical skills and number
sequence. The knowledge regarding teaching mathematics perceives the concepts of
mathematics and teachers understand the best way of teaching mathematics to children. Some
students can learn mathematics in early childhood and they are born with a spirit of learning
mathematics. In this case, early childhood learning becomes easy as the student is spontaneous
and interested in learning mathematical concepts. There are social and cultural contexts that vary
with the communicative and interactive context.

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Topic 5 Resources to support mathematical learning
Several resources support mathematical learning such as outdoor and nature play, pretend and
play, building and construction, early literacy and numeracy, science and inquiry and art and
craft. These are modern teaching aids that are used by educators to support teaching. The
resources that are used in mathematical learning are decided by educators that help them to chose
the best alternative to focus on learning outcomes. The support and the direction provided to
students tend to measure the learning outcomes and work on effective measures to focus on
mathematics language. As a prep teacher adopts different methods of teaching, resources used in
mathematical teaching are different (Edwards, 2013). In terms of Numeracy teaching, teachers
use rhymes and stories to get through with numeracy skills. Nursery rhymes are catching the
attention of children and help them to connect with the ideas and the abstracts in teaching
mathematics. Teachers struggle in teaching math thereby they find the best way they can work to
teach mathematical concepts to children. Children who majorly struggle in learning, need several
strategies that are best in easily learning difficult things. Thereby, real-world context is explored
with different teaching methods (Moir, 2014).
Topic 6 Assessment and planning for mathematical learning
Play-based mathematics method helps to support the pedagogical practice of educators. This is
the best way of teaching as it ensures child development and supports mathematical language
teaching. Additional support by teachers ensure overall development. The core mathematical
concepts tend to underpin the studies and work on the process of implementing several methods
in teaching. Planning for the best activity in teaching mathematics is the core objective of
educators. There is a significant association that intends in teaching methods. As such the
Australian Curriculum is followed in early child development and teaching mathematics. The
duration of play-based mathematics is not fixed while the frequency differs from the teaching
method. Greater gains are achieved by students if the educators focus on teaching method and
resources used in teaching. Pedagogical teaching methods are supported and enacted with high
intensity of mathematical concepts that are taught in the enactment of the activities. Providing a
major framework of studies that reflects with the early years learning framework and Australian
curriculum tends to meet the emerging understanding of mathematical skills. There are practical
ways of teaching mathematics and students count while analyzing the objects. This helps to

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develop mathematical language and increases student’s engagement in thinking mathematical
and exposing to the subject that will direct the lives ahead (Touhill, 2012). Particular planning is
necessary while teaching a mathematical subject. There is a list of activities that help in building
toddlers numeracy skills.
Toddlers of 2-3 years of age need a clear understanding of numeracy. Ideas of talking include
asking toddlers to say the number one after other, asking to count the number of toys, asking for
how many favorite colors they have, asking them to count the number of shapes and building a
pattern that identifies numeracy skills. These are the everyday activities that the child engages
within to build the numeracy skills as it tends to focus on learning outcomes while working on
several activities that attract toddlers to learn easily. The five learning outcomes of EYLF are
that children will gain a strong sense of identity, they will be connected, a strong sense of well-
being will be observed, confidence will be build and children will be effective communicators. A
good collaboration between educators and toddlers will ensure successful transitions. The ELYF
framework tends to provide of belonging and decision making (Bowen, 2014). The educational
experience of a child will raise the level of student fame which will result in equitable benefits
for the child in terms of the educational experience. mathematics possibilities are addressed with
the natural setting to integrate learning and caring concepts. Young children are initiative and
learn things quickly thereby mathematical possibilities is embedded in early childhood.

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References
Anne, C. & Trevor, F., (2013). Recognizing mathematical development in early childhood
education. Every Child, 19(1), 18-19.
Bowen, E., (2014). Maths - the 'new' curriculum and assessment. Educating Young Children:
Learning and Teaching in the Early Childhood Years, 20(1), 6-7.
Clements, D. & Sarama, J., (2009). Early childhood Mathematics learning, Chapter 1 in early
childhood mathematics education research learning trajectories for young children. (1st
ed., Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning Series) pp3-25. Florence: Taylor and
Francis.
Clarke, D J., & Clarke, D M. (2012). How do mathematics teachers decide what to teach?
Curriculum authority and sources of information accessed by Australian teachers.
Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 17(3), 9-12
Chen, J., McCray, J., Adams, M. & Leow, C. (2014). A survey study of early childhood teachers
beliefs and confidence about teaching early math, Early Childhood Education Journal,
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Cohrssen, C., Tayler, C., & Cloney, D. (2013). Playing with maths: Implications for early
childhood mathematics teaching from an implementation study in Melbourne, Australia.
Education 3-13, 43(6), 1-12.
Edwards, N. (2013). Reinventing old resources. Prime Number, 28(4), 18
Greig, J., (2012). Adapting nursery rhymes and stories to teach mathematics in the early years.
Prime Number, 27(1), 14-15.
MacDonald, A. (2019). What is Mathematics Education for Children under Three? A Snapshot
of Findings from a National Survey. In G. Hine, S. Blackley, & A. Cooke (Eds.).
Mathematics Education Research: Impacting Practice (Proceedings of the 42nd annual
conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia) pp. 468-475.
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