Playing with maths: implications for early childhood mathematics teaching from an implementation study in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia governs early childhood education in the years before school in Australia. Since this framework is not a curriculum, early childhood educators report uncertainty regarding what mathematical concepts to teach and how to teach them. This implementation study, positioned within the broader E4Kids study, explored the enactment of a suite of play-based mathematics activities by five early childhood educators in different settings over a seven-month period. The educators' approaches to incorporating the activities are discussed in light of the reported implementation frequency and the duration of activities. A regression analysis predicted significant changes in children's Fluid Intelligence/Reasoning associated with attending high-implementation programmes. Recommendations are made for further investigation of the enactment of mathematics activities in early childhood settings and for the provision of professional learning opportunities that focus on supporting children's concept development as well as their mathematical skills.

Keywords:

• early childhood mathematics
• Concept Formation
• implementation
• dosage
• implications for teaching

Acknowledgements

E4Kids is a project of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne and is conducted in partnership with Queensland University of Technology. E4Kids is funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage Projects Scheme (LP0990200), the Victorian Government Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and the Queensland Government Department of Education and Training. E4Kids is conducted in academic collaboration with the University of Toronto Scarborough, the Institute of Education at the University of London and the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. The E4Kids team would like to sincerely thank the ECEC services, directors, teachers/staff, children and their families for their on-going participation in this study.

Notes

1. As measurement-based activities were not included, the suite of activities is deliberately not described as a comprehensive curriculum.