Undergraduate - UnitEDF4037 - Thinking mathematically in primary education

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Education
Offered	Not offered in 2014

Synopsis

The unit focuses on developing students' understanding of thinking mathematically in primary education, with particular emphasis on the local and Australian curriculum for the primary years including mathematical reasoning and problem solving. Students further build their conceptual frameworks for understanding children's mathematical growth across the curriculum. They consider mathematical content in context and are expected to adopt pedagogies that support and challenge children to be mathematicians. Approaches which stimulate conjecturing, testing and mathematical justification are introduced and modelled. Rich tasks form the basis of discussion and analysis of effective teaching, learning and evaluation of mathematics. Students critically engage with current research, practice and policy.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

demonstrate understanding of the local and Australian curriculum for the primary years and the fundamental importance of mathematical reasoning
understand thinking mathematically and its implications for teaching
develop an awareness of effective pedagogical approaches to problem solving and investigations
reflect on their personal professional learning
implement classroom strategies that link mathematics to practical applications and problems
understand the importance and develop techniques for adopting inclusive practices in relation to the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Assessment

Report on the design, trialling and evaluation of problem-based mathematics lessons (2000 words equivalent, 50%)
Case study of the mathematical reasoning of primary students (2000 words equivalent, 50%)

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

2 contact hours per week

(b.) Additional requirements:

independent study to make up the minimum required hours per week

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Education - Early childhood and early childhood-primary