Week 5 readings

The two readings I chose this week are 

1. Mem Fox's (2002) 'The power and the story: How reading aloud to children will change their lives forever'

2. Michelle Conole's (2005) 'Mathematics in Early Childhood' in Auckland College of Education (ACE) Paper No. 16: Approaches to Domain Knowledge in Early Childhood Pedagogy

Why?

I chose the above two readings as I wanted to build and lay my foundation as to the context of literacy and mathematics in the really early years of a child's life. I was drawn to the first reading as I was read aloud to a whole lot as a child, and was interested to understand how much of an impact reading aloud has on a child's learning. The second reading was chosen because I personally have never given much thought as to how mathematics can be implemented in the early years. Hence, the reading was chosen to give me an insight into how mathematics can be and should be conducted in an early years setting.

Summary

Fox's (2002, pp. 4 - 8) article discussed the benefits of reading aloud to children, the importance of reading aloud to children at an early age and how children learn to read. Fox (2002, p. 4) explains that reading aloud to children was beneficial in three ways, that is: it stimulates the child's brains more and hence made them smarter, it forms an emotional bond between parents and children, and it helps children to learn to read even before they reach school. She also emphasised that it was important for parents not to simply read words off the page but instead 'read well' (Fox, 2002, p.4). By 'reading well', she means using varying tones of voice, adding sound effects, discussing the pictures and characters and the moral values and furthermore. Fox explains further that children should never be 'taught' how to read, but instead adults must make reading a fun experience that will allow children to learn how to read naturally. Fox (2002, p.6) gives the analogy of how, just like how children are not 'taught' to talk, they learn to talk by being spoken to. In that same manner, the more children are read to, and the more they are exposed to different books and words, the easier they will learn to read. One of the quotes that stood out the most to me was “75 percent of development happens in the first six years of life, more particularly in the first three years of life, and most particularly by the time a child turns one." (Fox, 2002, p.5). This really blew my mind as to how much a brain develops within the first year of a child's life. Since it is within the first year of a child's life that the neurones in the brain begin to form the most connections, it is so crucial that we as educators (or parents), expose our children to as much experiences and the fascinating world of books and pictures that will contribute to the development of the child's brain!

Conole's (2005, pp. 91 - 103) article on 'Mathematics in Early Childhood' focused on the argument of constructing a mathematics program that was focused on play, fun and enjoyment, versus constructing a mathematics program that was more structured and built on children's prior informal and intuitive mathematical knowledge. Conole (2005, p. 94) sees three ways of teaching mathematics, that are the informal approach, the child-based approach and the teacher-centred approach. In the informal approach, Conole  (2005, p. 94) cites Haynes' (2000) example of an infant learning spatial concepts as he/she learns to move through spaces. In other words, the informal approach is based on the child's own life experience and aiding in developing a child's reasoning skills to make sense of the world. The child-based approach involves the teacher being able to recognise what mathematical knowledge a child already has and building on that knowledge. The teacher may use mathematical terms in communication but at the end of the day, allows children to formulate for themselves their own understanding of mathematical concepts. The teacher-directed approach involves teachers holding full responsibility of setting up 'problems' for children and creating developmental-appropriate opportunities that challenge children mathematically (Conole, 2005, pp. 94 - 95). Conole (2005, p. 95) also includes that children can learn through play but that learning should be mediated by an adult so that it reaches its full potential. At the end of the article, Conole (2005, pp. 98 - 100) explains how Mathematics is implemented in the early childhood setting in New Zealand, Te Whaariki. In Te Whaariki, the main emphasis on learning through play and every day opportunities with the guidance of the educator. She acknowledges that educators play an essential role in setting and designing the environment and mathematics program in the classroom for fun learning and exploration.

Implications

Based on the readings, it really stood out to me how important it was to thoroughly introduce literacy and numeracy skills to children even from birth, and not to wait until children reach school. Quoting again from Fox's (2002) reading, “75 percent of development happens in the first six years of life, more particularly in the first three years of life, and most particularly by the time a child turns one." (Fox, 2002, p.5) Clearly this implies an infant's brain must be able to absorb as much knowledge as it can in the first three years of life, and that's clearly before they reach school! As educators in the modern technological world, while yes, it is helpful to have technology as a teaching aid, we must remember that nothing beats the physical voice of reading aloud to children and actually incorporating mathematics into our every day routines. Setting aside time to read stories to children or singing songs that involve numbers can be helpful in introducing literacy and numeracy concepts to children. Counting aloud when performing actions such as jumping or even counting the elements in picture books itself aid children in developing both their literacy and numeracy skills. So, just maybe it is time for us, educators, to reevaluate how we have been teaching and whether we are building enough on our children's prior knowledge, and whether we are giving our children enough opportunities to sharpen their literacy and numeracy skills.

References:

Fox, M. (2002). The power and the story: How reading aloud to children will change their lives forever. Orana, 8(2), 4-8, Retrieved September 2, 2013 from http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=119868;res=AEIPT 

Conole, M. (2005). Mathematics in Early Childhood. Auckland College of Education (ACE) Paper No. 16: Approaches to Domain Knowledge in Early Childhood Pedagogy, 91 - 100, Retrieved September 2, 2013 from http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/ace-issue16