Between the Big Trees: A Project-based Approach to Investigating Shape and Spatial Thinking in a Kindergarten Program

Abstract

SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN'S EMERGING mathematical thinking is a characteristic of high-quality early childhood education. Young children's spatial thinking, an important component of mathematical thinking, is both innate and influenced by experience. Since spatial thinking contributes to children's mathematical thinking, it is important for children to engage in activities that support this learning. Early childhood educators are calling for guidance in how to support children's mathematical thinking in the context of an informal curriculum. In this paper, we describe how a project-based approach to mathematics teaching and learning provided a range of opportunities for children to investigate and rehearse understandings of two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) shapes and spatial thinking within the context of a project that was of ‘real world’ interest to the children. By intentionally embedding multiple opportunities for children to explore shapes and spatial thinking in a sequence of core learning experiences and complementary experiences, educators provided children with opportunities to rehearse shape and spatial concepts and related language in differing ways. Opportunities for formative assessment of children's learning are also discussed.

Between the Red and Yellow Windows: A Fine-Grained Focus on Supporting Children’s Spatial Thinking During Play

“…Ethics approval was obtained for the project (for a detailed description of the project, see Cohrssen et al, 2017). Nineteen boys and girls aged between 4 years 2 months and 5 years 10 months participated in the project.…”

“…This coincides with evidence that Australian learners' mathematics performance on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), undertaken in Year 4 and Year 8 of school, is declining (Thomson, Wernert, O'Grady, & Rodrigues, 2017).The focus of this article is to illustrate how spatial thinking skills, as one element of mathematical thinking, were supported during play. The article presents short transcripts of video data gathered during a 6-week project that focused on a topic of great interest to children at the end of their final preschool year: transitioning to formal school education (Cohrssen, de Quadros-Wander, Page, & Klarin, 2017). In these short episodes, it is demonstrated how, through joining in with children's play, their teacher encouraged and facilitated back and forth conversations that modeled and encouraged directional and locational language.…”

Orientação espacial no pré-escolar: lateralidade e posição relativa

“…O conceito de orientação espacial tem sido merecedor de discussão há já algum tempo. Cohrssen et al (2017) concebem a orientação espacial como a perceção da própria posição no meio e da sua capacidade de o navegar. Esta ideia é também partilhada por Fernandez-Baizan et al (2021) que entendem a orientação espacial como uma função importante na vida quotidiana, porque nos permite alcançar um lugar-alvo quando nos deslocamos através do nosso ambiente, utilizando informação autocentrada (egocêntrica) ou ambiental (alocêntrica).…”

Maintaining an empowered school community: Introducing digital technologies by building digital literacies at Beehive Montessori School

“…Some ambivalence was expressed about how much and when, but they recommended to practitioners that they make implementation decisions that were authentic to Montessori pedagogy and that respected children's neural development: 'Using Montessori's methods of observing will help us determine the place of technology in the Montessori world' (AMS, 2013: para 1). The AMS position was taken in response to a debate that started in the US in the late 1990s and asked how Maria Montessori would use -if at all -digital technologies in the classroom (Cichuki, 2006;Love and Sikorski, 2000;Montminy, 1999;Moore, 2006;Hubbell, 2003). The position taken in the literature was that meaningful use was key to good practice when using digital technologies.…”

“…Recognizing that each context is different, patterns may emerge related to what students say, do and produce for each of the key aspects. Further learning experiences are then able to be created based on the observed achievements (Cohrssen et al, 2017). The Beehive educators' completed templates and journals provided worked examples showing ways that educators can provide learning experiences with technology that are balanced and purposeful to allow the transformation of traditional authentic learning experiences.…”