Planning for Mathematical Teaching Learning and Assessment

Description

Introduction

This assignment reflects and builds on your learning from across the unit, and uses the same framework – being, beocoming,belong, early learning years framework australia NOTICE, EXPLORE and TALK. 

The focus for this assignment is on the choices you make in planning for mathematics learning and teaching. These planning choices begin with the mathematics you notice, what you know about how children learn that mathematics,  and how this informs the decisions you make about what mathematics you will plan for the children to notice, explore and talk about.  

You will use the Session Plan Template (below) to plan, and  also provide reasons for your planning that are supported by literature, using the unit Readings.

This is a planning assignment. You don’t need to do be doing professional experience, or be working with or have access to children to complete this assignment. 

Use the Information and Photographs from the Learning Setting (below):

The Setting Information (see below) provides some basic information about the setting and some photographs. The information from each setting has the potential to support a wide range of mathematics learning, and even though there is much you don’t know about the setting, this is about you noticing the mathematics learning potential in the information you do have. There is no one ‘correct’ answer. 

You can choose which of the resources available in the setting you would use, or what resources you could bring into the setting and which of the photographs and information are relevant for you to base your assignment. You don’t need to use or refer to everything that is in the information or use every photograph.  There is no need to include the setting information as an Appendix.

Setting Information

The pre-school is a busy place! There is a range of materials available for use both indoors and outdoors, and some designated areas for activities, including block, sand and water play, dramatic play, a library corner, and ‘make’, ‘puzzle’  and ‘art’ centres. There is a paved circuit for the children to ride their tricycles and other paved and grassed areas outside. 

The children have recently shown an interest in building tall structures with cardboard boxes and playing with a large box of wooden equilateral triangles and sets of dominoes.  The obstacle courses the pre-school educators have been setting up outside have been very popular. 

Photographs:  Choose ONE photograph.

Larger images are available here:  AT3 Enlarged pictures

Assignment Guide

Assignment Overview:

The focus for this assignment is on planning for learning. Choose ONE of the photographs and decide based on the information you have, what you would plan to do next – what would be a good choice for the children’s ‘next mathematics learning’?

Decide how you will plan to use the setting and materials (resources) and what teaching strategy choices you will make to support the children to notice, explore and talk about the specific mathematics learning you are planning for.

Provide supported reasons for your planning choices, using the unit readings.

Step 1 – NOTICE

CRITERIA 1: Identify the mathematics learning potential in the environment. 

                     What mathematics do you notice the children are using or are showing an interest in?

This needs to be specific to show what you understand about the mathematics you have identified. For example, if you have chosen space, what space learning? Will it be learning about orientation in space, such as position and direction, or some other spatial learning you have identified from your reading?

Ask yourself:

1. What do you know from your reading and unit resources about how the children learn this mathematics?

2. What have you learned about how you can support children to learn about that mathematics?

3. What curriculum outcomes will this mathematics learning work towards?

You will need this information for the next two parts.

DECIDE: What mathematics learning will I plan for? 

Given what you have noticed, and what you know about how children learn that mathematics, what will you plan as ”next learning’? What mathematics do you want the children to notice, explore and talk about?

Step 2 – EXPLORE

CRITERIA 2: Provide examples and explanations as to how the identified mathematics could be explored.

                     How will the children learn that mathematics? What will they do? What will I do?

This needs to connect directly to the mathematics learning you are planning for. Be specific to show you understand what you and the children will do to explore the mathematics learning potential you have noticed and are planning for. Use your knowledge of how children learn that mathematics to  inform your choices.

For example, will the children be modelling or representing? Comparing, describing, connecting, or reasoning? What will you plan for that will enable that ‘doing’ to happen?

What resources (materials) would you choose to use and where and how would the children use them ? Would the resources (materials) you plan to use be the same ones children are already using, or new ones you are planning to introduce? Here you can show that you are beginning to see the potential for mathematics learning in the setting, and that some materials are better than others for particular mathematics leaning, while some materials are versatile and can be used for many different sorts of mathematics learning.

What teaching strategies will you choose to use to support the children’s mathematics learning? How will you use these to support that learning?

Step 3 – TALK

CRITERIA 3: Provide examples of how the identified mathematics could be talked about. 

                     What will you do to support the children to talk about the mathematics? 

Decide on the language you would plan to use when you are talking to the children about the mathematics you have identified. You language choices should connect directly to the mathematics learning you are planning for!

For example, when planning to use questions, what would be some examples of good ones (and why?). What vocabulary would you plan to use? What sorts of things could you talk about with the children that would help them to notice the mathematics you have planned for?

Writing your plan and explaining your planning choices:

To address the criteria for AT3 you will need to write and submit two separate documents:

1. The completed Session Planning template.

2. Literature supported reasons for your planning. 

The 1600 word count for the assignment is for the total number of words you write for BOTH documents – the planning template and your reasons.

1. Session Planning template – what am I planning to do?

Maximum 700 words

Session Planning template: 2021: ECE211 AT3 Session Planning template (Word document)

• Your planning should describe WHAT you are planning to do.
• Use the Session Planning template, this is a word document and you can type into it.
• Use the questions in the Session Planning template to guide your planning. The questions are not a recipe. The questions are there to prompt your thinking about the the sorts of decisions and choices you need to make in planning.
• The completed Session Planning template is part of your assignment and therefore part of the assignment word count. Any headings in bold  that are in the template are NOT included in the word count for the assignment (approximately 100 words).
• You can use dot points in the Session Plan. Keep it short and to the point.

2. Support your planning with reasons – why did I make those planning choices?

810-990 words if your plan is 700 words

• In this section of the assignment you will explain/justify why you have made your planning choices.
• Your literature support must come from mathematics education literature. Use the unit Readings, this is what they are there for.
• You must give reasons for/explain/justify your planning choices and these must be supported wherever possible from the unit readings.
• The unit readings found in the Unit Reading List must be your primary source of information and literature support. You can also use other mathematics education research literature you source from the library.
• There is not a set number of references for this assignment, however you are expected to use at least 5 Required or Further readings to support your planning decisions.