Children\'s Mathematics

than copied numbers or sums) is an invaluable means of assessment. Change can be

threatening for us all but it will reassure colleagues to know that (in England) this is

what is recommended, and that research shows that this really does help children

understand standard written mathematics at a deep level. The children who are now

in your class and making their own early marks will have moved on to many of the

standard forms with understanding, when they are older.

I put columns and boxes in the children’s work books because they

don’t know how to organise their own work

There is evidence to show that children need to experiment with ways of setting out

a page and make their own decisions about whether to put a box around some

figures, or how to organise data they have collected. At first it will not look like the

standard forms of layout, but doing this will help them understand why some

layouts work better than others for particular aspect of mathematics.

We don’t keep any of the children’s own mathematical marks from

their play – we like to let them take it home

Young children especially like to take things home. However, it is important that you

build up a profile of their understanding through their mathematical graphics and

photocopies will do just as well.

Where do I start?

You have already begun by reading some of this book. You may like to reflect on

what you have deliberately done that has already helped children’s early writing

development. Perhaps adding writing tools and paper to the role play area generated

marks within the context of children’s play roles. It may be that creating a graphics

area or putting up a noticeboard generated different writing ‘genres’. These may be

useful places to begin (see Chapter 8). You will also benefit if you are able to discuss

what is happening in your nursery or class with an interested colleague.

It’s all very well – but what about test scores?

When children try to show their own methods on paper in national tests for mathe-

matics, it helps them think through the question and often leads to a correct answer.

For example, in the Key Stage 1 SATS in England, some children tackled the more dif-

ficult problem-solving questions by using their own methods. One question in recent

years asked children to work out how many packs – of four cartons of juice in each

pack – would be needed for a party which 26 children would attend (Figure 12.1).

Jenny, 7:3, thought this through by counting in multiples of four – ‘4, 8, 12’.

When she had exhausted her knowledge of that she reverted to tallies (or an iconic

method of representation). Perhaps if she had not been used to employing her own

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