Children\'s Mathematics

of numerals and established some pathways that led to early calculations on paper. This

development did not reveal itself to us as readily as children’s early writing had done.

Evidence-based study

The examples of children’s mathematics have come from our own teaching either in

our own classrooms or when we were invited to teach in other classrooms. It is this

strong teaching background, coupled with our work as consultants, advisers and lec-

turers, that has made us focus on what we believe is important in the Early Years. It has

also sharpened our knowledge of underpinning theories – of mathematics and mark-

making and of all the complexity of teaching and learning in the 3–8 years age range.

International findings

Our search for literature on children’s own written mathematics in the 3–8 age range

did not reap any major findings. There were individual studies in the USA, for

example Whitin, Mills and O’Keefe, (1990); in Australia, Stoessinger and Edmunds

(1992) and in England teachers’ stories of their work (Atkinson, 1992). There was the

beginning of a movement in the direction of advocating what we term a bi-numer-

ate approach to the teaching of mathematics (see Chapter 5).

However, Alexander’s significant study of five nations – France, Russia, India, the

USA and England – found that the teaching of mathematics worldwide is heavily

influenced by textbooks and worksheets. India was the exception, not only because

of funding difficulties, but due to significant historical and cultural factors (Alexan-

der, 2000). In 1998 and again in 1999 I was fortunate to have two periods of volun-

tary work with a children’s charity in Tamil Nadu, in southern India. At first hand I

was able to see children taught in nursery and primary schools.

State-run nursery schools are found in many larger villages, including those in

which I worked. The nursery teacher may have completed primary education,

though her assistants have often had little or no schooling, and in this rural area

there was very little training for nursery teachers. In many of the villages I visited

there were few literate adults and this, combined with often extreme levels of

poverty, means that perhaps only a handful of homes in the community had any

printed matter, pens or paper in their homes. Of the ten nursery schools I visited,

nine were totally empty rooms: apart from the adults and children, there were no

toys, resources, books or pictures. Discipline was strict with commands to ‘sit up

straight’, ‘fold your arms’ and ‘sit still and be quiet’ frequent. The children attend

nursery school until they are 6 years old.

In only one of the nursery schools I visited were there any visual aids. The teacher

proudly showed me some small posters she had made – an alphabet with pictures

and a small number frieze of numbers 1–10 with pictures. Questions were fired at

these 2–6-year-olds and a rapid response was demanded. The mathematics teaching

was a transmission model with an emphasis on correct answers. In the nursery

schools I visited there were no opportunities for mark-making or drawing

since there were no resources. During a period of several months I did not once

Who takes notice of children’s own ‘written’ mathematics? 3

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