Children\'s Mathematics

is very open so it could be something the teacher started and the children could

carry on in their own way. Plans for adult-led sessions may also begin with an obser-

vation of children as the starting point.

Figure 8.1 Features of adult-led and child-initiated play

The teacher-intensive session is a focused group, where the teacher stays with the chil-

dren and has objectives to teach. Both teacher-initiated and teacher-intense learning

are adult-led and neither is play. Fisher (1996, p. 105) reminds us ‘that the minute an

adult has a predetermined task or goal in mind, then the activity cannot be play’. In

the adult-directed learning spectrum there are different levels of adult involvement:

• where children lead after the adult has made an initial input


• where the adult provides open problem-solving questions but guides and supports
  the responses


• where the whole class is teacher-directed; this is usually seen in older age groups
  and is not a sufficiently good model for younger children.

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