The cat from France likes to sing and dance but mycat likes to hide in boxes

(Sutton, 1984, pp: 4 and 6).

We have found that our knowledge of young children’s schemas has informed our

teaching immensely. It has helped us understand young children’s actions and

thoughts and therefore respond to their educational needs. Our constant discussions

about children’s schemas have given us great insight into children’s development.

What is a schema?

Chris Athey (1990) led the Froebel Research project that identified developments in

young children’s thinking, which ‘entailed developing a new approach to the descrip-

tion and interpretation of cognitive behaviour’ (Athey, 1990, p. 49). Over 5,000 obser-

vations were collected from 20 children aged 2–5 over two years and then analysed.

Athey focused on the particular patterns of behaviour that 2–5-year-old children have,

which she termed schemas. She defined schemas as ‘a pattern of repeatable behaviour

into which experiences are assimilated and that are gradually co-ordinated. Co-ordi-

nations lead to higher levels and more powerful schemas’ (Athey, 1990 p. 37).

There is now an ever growing body of research directly related to Athey’s in-depth

and rigorous study into children’s patterns of thought (schemas). For example,

Matthews (2003) studied children’s drawings; Roberts (2002) children’s emotional

development; Gura (1992) children’s block play and Arnold (1997; 2003) two case

studies of children’s development through schemas. Athey’s research has directly

influenced practice, in some Children’s Centres in England, plus early childhood

settings in China (Pan, 2004) and New Zealand (Meade and Cubey 1995). Athey’s

research has prompted practitioners to look at the educational programme offered

through children’s schemas. The power of schema research is that it can uncover

children’s cognitive concerns that flesh out their their actions and their thinking: this

in turn helps those adults who work with children to match the curriculum and

children’s interests. Athey emphasises that: ‘at the heart of the Plowden Report (1966)

was the child. At the heart of ERA (the Education Reform Act, 1988) was the

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Mathematical

Schemas

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