What is the name of the resource, article, website or video?

“Mathematics through Play in the Early Years” By Kate Tucker

What was the overall Idea of the resource, and how it related to the whole unit under study?

This resource’s overall idea is to provide comprehensive information on teaching young learners in creative and innovative ways. The resource offers the students with exciting ideas of how to make calculations and survive in a mathematical environment easily.  The book offers diverse mathematical concepts, which area mostly through play-based activities since the learners are young and will require more straightforward techniques of understanding the elements of calculations (Tucker, 2011).  It is also very significant for the study because it offers the teacher the best practices and ideas that he/she can incorporate in the course of teaching the young students how to comprehend the subject quickly.

From this resource, the teachers can also quickly adapt to the numeracy strategy, which is key to educating the early year learners on the basics of mathematics.  From chapter two of the book, the learning environment is significant for a child’s learning abilities. It consists of both the psychological and the physical. Environments. The book gives a thorough evaluation of these environments and how they can be well utilized to suit students’ needs (Tucker, 2011). It guides teachers on the best ways to utilize such environments and ensure a smooth learning process.   Failure for a child to feel valued and secured may deter him/her from acquiring the contents of the resources and even the planned activities. He /she is also highly unlikely to engage fully with the surrounding. This resource, therefore, all issues related to the c young learner’s environment and its relationship with learning mathematics, are comprehensively addressed to ensure that the learning process is smooth and fruitful.

What was one crucial Idea that you will use in your classroom that clicked for you from this resource

One significant Idea that I will use in the classroom is the use of a safe and suitable space for each child, which will make him/her concentrate on learning.  The first area will be the siting space of a child, where he/she will be in a position to learn without quickly getting distracting or bothered by forces outside the class. The environments for learning will need to learner-centered, which will ensure that knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs of learners are focused on (Tucker, 2011). As a teacher, there will be a need to understand the needs of every child, where constant checking on the students will help them to identify the strengths, abilities, and weaknesses of each child with regard to understanding the lessons being taught.  As a way of boosting this learning environment, according to Hannula (2019), there will be a need for the use of creative materials and resources that integrate well with young learners and enable them to enjoy their learning.  Through creative materials, the young learners will get to fully concentrate since the learning experience will elevate them with a yearning for more. As a result, they will effortlessly adapt to the learning system and perform well according to the curriculum’s expectations and guidelines.

How has this resource changed your thinking, being specific about where you were in your thinking to what you read and digested that made that aha moment of change?

From this resource, I have well comprehended the significance of a great learning environment for students’ success, more so in mathematics learning. An appropriate environment is a critical tool that can foster the success of a young learner and improve his/her attitudes towards a given subject.  This resource made me question previous learning environments and understand why some students had developed a negative attitude towards mathematics. I have also understood that there is a tremendous interplay between the psychological and the physical and mathematical learning environments.

The student’s attitude will be massively affected by the conditions he/she is learning in, a factor that will likely affect his/her way of apprehending mathematical calculations.  Therefore, I have learned that as a teacher, I would need to undertake preeminent measures that ensure that a student is comfortable in that he/she can participate in all the activities in the class with minimum or no distractions.  I have also learnt on the need for incorporating innovative learning materials that will ensure that student fully participates in the activities of the classroom due to the tool in place. Failure to have such tools will make the calculations more complicated, affecting the learner’s attitude.   I also have more knowledge of tools such as charts and displays for the learner in the course of learning mathematics, which can help him/ her understand better since, through displays, some mathematical calculations appear more exciting and uncomplicated to solve for the student.  A teacher can also incorporate activities that involve learning outside the classroom to make sure that young learners are easily able to come up with solutions for mathematical questions.  I hence have a better outlook on teaching mathematics by learners, and anticipate for enjoyable and smother lessons in the future.

References

Hannula, M. S. (2019). Young learners’ mathematics-related affect: A commentary on concepts, methods, and developmental trends. . Educational Studies in Mathematics, 100(3), 309-316.

Tucker, K. (2011). Mathematics Through Play in the Early Years. SAGE Publications Ltd . doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446212417