Undergraduate - UnitEDF1032 - Thinking mathematically from an early age

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 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.

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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.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Education
Offered	Berwick Second semester 2015 (Day) Peninsula Second semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Ms Wendy Goff (Berwick); Dr Karina Wilkie (Peninsula)

Synopsis

This unit develops students' understanding on the ways young children's mathematical thinking develops from a very early age. It introduces conceptual frameworks for understanding children's mathematical growth and explores experiences which give young children opportunities to learn mathematics from infancy through to the early years of school. The content addresses the transition from informal to formal mathematical concepts in young children. Students critically engage with current research, practice and policy in mathematics in multiple contexts. They begin to develop pedagogical tools that enable them to successfully support children's learning of mathematics.

Outcomes

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

demonstrate understanding of key curriculum principles and content relating to mathematics for young children
understand the connections between home, preschool/school and community mathematics teaching and learning
reflect on their personal professional learning in the field of mathematics
develop classroom strategies that link mathematics to practical applications, particularly in relation to measurement and space
understand the importance of inclusive practices in relation to the teaching and learning of mathematics for diverse learners.

Assessment

Observational analysis: an analytical study of a young child's mathematical thinking as evidenced in an everyday scenario (1600 words equivalent, 40%)
Interview and report: mathematical understandings of two young children (2400 words equivalent, 60%)

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

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

2 hours per week

(b.) Additional requirements:

10 hours of independent study per week

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Karina Wilkie

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

Early years education
Early years and primary education