Children\'s Mathematics

interested in ‘flipping over’ the concept of emergent writing into mathematics and

asked Mary to invite some local teachers who understood and used this approach in

their classrooms. The authors of this book were two of the first few teachers who met

to explore this idea. From our initial meeting we met regularly; discussing, reading

and challenging each other’s thinking and our own. We were anxious to see mathe-

matics in its broadest sense and within the context of Early Years and primary edu-

cation. During the period in which we met together we explored many aspects of

mathematics teaching and learning.

We have worked extensively with teachers and students and developed our class-

room practice as our emerging theories evolved. For some years we also held a series of

annual conferences with nationally known speakers from the field of Early Years edu-

cation. The speaker at our first conference posed the following question: ‘what is it you

believe you must do deliberately, to support children’s mathematical understanding?’

(Gulliver, 1992). This question was to be a key influence on our developing pedagogy.

In Chapter 2 we explore the way in which young children begin to assign mathe-

matical meaning to their marks and introduce a range of mathematical graphics

from 3- and 4-year-olds. We look at some theories of learning and show how these

different theories have influenced teachers’ beliefs and practice regarding their

expectations of children’s written mathematics.

Further Reading

Listening to children

• Lancaster, P. and Broadbent, V. (2003) Listening to Young Children.Maidenhead:
  Coram Family and Open University Press.


• Saint-Exupéry, A. de (1958) Le Petit Prince. London. Heinemann Educational.
  Cultures


• Alexander, R. (2000) Culture and Pedagogy: International Comparisons in Primary
  Education.Oxford: Blackwell.


• Brooker, L. (2002) Starting School: Young Children Learning Cultures. Buckingham: Open
  University Press
  Background to emergent writing


• Clay, M. (1975)What did I write? Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.


• Newman, J. (1984) The Craft of Children’s Writing. Spring, TX: Heinemann
  Educational.
  REM and Developmental Education in the Netherlands


• Heuvel-Panhuizen, M. van den (2001) ‘Realistic mathematics education in the
  Netherlands’, in J. Anghileri (ed.), Principles and Practices in Arithmetic Teaching.
  Buckingham: Open University Press.


• Oers, B. van (ed.) (2003) Narratives of Childhood: Theoretical and Practical Explorations
  of Early Childhood Education. Amsterdam: Free University Press.
  Emergent mathematics


• Atkinson, S. (1992) Maths with Reason. London: Hodder and Stoughton.


• Gifford, S. (1997) ‘When should they start doing sums?’ in I. Thompson (ed.),
  Teaching and Learning Early Number. Buckingham: Open University Press.

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