Week 6: Pre-Number Concepts

Big Ideas

This week was all about pre-number concepts, that is, concepts children must understand before they formally start the study of number. They include understanding number relationships, attributes, patterning, counting principles and subitizing. The Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2010) highlights the importance of these numeracy capabilities as they relate to outcome 5, “children are effective communicators” (p.22). As numeracy capabilities are recognised as important aspects of communication and are vital for successful learning across the curriculum, these pre-number concepts are the “powerful mathematical ideas children need to become numerate” (DEEWR, 2010, p.41).

Concept: Patterning

Concept: When a child can describe what patterning is
Skill: When they start doing it and making patterns

While all 6 of the pre-number concepts are vital for children to understand the further study of number, the concept of patterning stands out as it combines together all of the pre-number concepts, of matching, sorting, comparing and ordering. Children can create all different types of patterns – visual, auditory and movement patterns. They can:

• Build patterns
• Copy a pattern
• Create their own pattern
• Extend a pattern (keep a pattern going)
• Insert the missing element into a pattern
• Translate a pattern (change mode of pattern e.g. from blocks to claps)

Language Model

In relation to patterning using the language model (as well as other pre-number concepts), the symbolic language stage should not apply, as symbols are not used. Recording of patterns should be children drawing pictures. There is a wide range of materials that provide children with opportunity to practice patterning including beads, buttons, shapes, food, cubes and other concrete materials.

Language used includes, “more, same, different” and questions being asked include, “what comes next?, what is repeating?” and, “how many can you see?” The materials and language used can mostly be applied across the student language, materials and mathematics stages.


(Jamieson-Proctor, 2021)

Misconception

There is a wide misconception of children being able to count because they can say the numbers “1,2,3,4,5,6,7…” etc in order, but counting is not simply just reciting the number word sequence. A child cannot be considered as able to count until they can model all 5 counting principles (listed in the above concept map) (Jamieson-Proctor, 2021).

These counting principles were new information to me, as I had never thought very deeply about counting, and this was a misconception I carried prior to commencing this unit of study. Knowing these principles will help me as a teacher to recognise the levels of children’s counting skills, and I will be able to pinpoint emerging counting strategies, as well as identify incomplete understanding (Reys et al., 2020). 

ACARA

Pre-number concepts are first seen in the Australian curriculum in foundation year (ACMN001/ACMNA005)

Strand: number and algebra/ patterns and algebra
Sub-strand: number and place value


(ACARA, 2021)

Scootle

The collection of Peg + Cat videos are a great introduction for young children to patterning. There is a variety of contexts across the video series including cake-making, shape patterns, stars and colours, allowing children to see a lot of different attributes. These videos are particularly good for practicing inserting a missing element into patterns, and extending patterns.


(PBS LearningMedia, 2021)

Teaching Resource

These printable pattern block cards can help in developing the pattern concept. These cards can be used with a variety of concrete materials such as unifix cubes and bear and bug counters. These present opportunities to duplicate and extend patterns.



References

ACARA. (2021). Mathematics. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/mathematics/

Cox, K. (2010). Color pattern cards. PreKinders. https://www.prekinders.com/color-pattern-cards/

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia. ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Jamieson-Proctor, R. (2021). EDMA241/262. Mathematics Learning and Teaching 1: Week 6 Part 1 (slide 3). Australian Catholic University

Jamieson-Proctor, R. (2021). Week 6 learning activities: Part 2a lecture. Australian Catholic University. https://vimeo.com/user36828324/review/200402914/02b809358e

PBS LearningMedia. (2021). Cake time: Peg + cat. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/9db5f21c-836e-4b7f-aee4-a4c67c59ef9c/cake-time-peg-cat/

PBS LearningMedia. (2021). Space Patterns: Peg + cat. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/7f71e3ad-1584-48f1-961b-aaad89a9ffb8/space-patterns-peg-cat/

PBS LearningMedia. (2021). Triangle, pentagon, triangle, square!: Peg + cat. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/a35a731e-585a-4a6f-8685-1e363708c40f/triangle-pentagon-triangle-square-peg-cat/

Reys, R., Lindquist, M., Lambdin, D., Smith, N., Rogers, A., Cooke, A., Ewing, B., & West. J. (2020). Helping children learn Mathematics (3rd Australian ed.). Milton: John Wiley & Sons.













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