Early Childhood Specialization Analysis

Every day, mathematics is used in our lives. From playing sports or games to cooking, these activities require the use of mathematical concepts. For young children, mathematical learning opportunities are all around them. Knaus (2013) states that ‘Young children are naturally curious and eager to learn about their surroundings and the world they live in’ (pg.1). Children, young and old, and even adults, learn when they explore, play and investigate. By being actively involved, engaging in activities that are rich, meaningful, self-directed and offer problem solving opportunities, children given the chance to make connections with their world experiences (Yelland, Butler & Diezmann, 1999). As an educator of young children,

I am a student at Florida Atlantic University studying early childhood education. I am enrolled in EEC 3214 class this semester; the class is called designing and implementing a blending curriculum: birth to age eight. I am required to complete a field experience assignment at a preschool. I will observe young children ranging from three to five years old. I assure you that I will keep all information confidential. In addition, I reassure you that I will not share the information collected outside of my course and that no identifying information will be shared. I will respect and follow all the school’s policies and procedures in a professional manner.

From birth, it is important for practitioners to support the early years’ mathematical development. Children learn emergent maths which is a “term used to describe children construct mathematics from birth” (Geist, 2010). The Early Years Statuary Frameworks (EYFS) (Department of Education) states that maths is one of the specific areas.

Numeracy development is important for all children as maths is an important part of everyday life. The way in which maths is taught has changed greatly over the years. When I was at school we were taught one method to reach one answer. Now, particularly in early primary phase, children are taught different methods to reach an answer, which includes different methods of working out and which also develops their investigation skills. For example, by the time children reach year six, the different methods they would have been taught for addition would be number lines,

Van de Walle, J, Karp, K. S. & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2015). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teaching Developmentally. (9th ed.). England: Pearson Education Limited.

Saumya Patel is 5 years old. He attends Kindergarten at Sumter County Primary School in the Sumter County School System. Saumya is very intelligent, and is very far ahead of many of the students on his level. He is very independent, and he is very capable of doing many things on his own. Saumya sometimes questions why he sits in a kindergarten classroom with his intelligence. He does not understand why some of his classmates act their age.

There are different national frameworks and policies that are used for the development of mathematical learning from 3 to 8 years old.

Do you want to work with children, but do not know what types of careers are in the early childhood development field? Do you want to be a teacher, for example, or run a childcare center, but are not sure what credentials are needed? This lesson will give you an introduction to careers, with information to help you identify career roles and responsibilities. You will learn what credentials are required in a variety of careers. In looking at career paths, it is helpful to study these differences and practice identifying each position by its qualifications and responsibilities. This lesson will help you learn, understand, and work with the specifics. You will see the connection between education and career pathways. You will know the terminology used in various credentials and become familiar with their acronyms. To assess what you have learned, you will practice matching credentials and requirements with career positions in a project that asks you to answer the question Who am I?

You need to be able to use different strategies and resources in order to develop mathematical skills in young children, you can do this through focused activities as well as using the learning environment to stimulate children’s learning.

After reading chapter 6 of the textbook, I have realized that children early years are severely important because they provide the foundation for the rest of their life, as adolescent, and as adult. Children that are well nurtured can live well and be sociable. Early childhood is the most rapid period of development in a human life. A child creates their own sense of identity. Indeed, it is important for a child to have a sense of identity. Although individual children develop at their pace, all children progress through an identifiable sequence of physical, cognitive, and emotional growth and change. The early child development approach is based on that children respond best when caregivers use specific techniques designed to encourage and stimulate progress to the next level of development. Early childhood is the time during which essential, intellectual, and emotional abilities form. Keeping young children safe and nurturing them is protective against lifelong problems. Including the risk of becoming involved in violence. Early experiences affect the brain development, shaping the brains physical growth and sculpting neural connections. This occurs primarily between birth and school age years. Besides, the family, community and society are powerful in shaping young children’s development. They grow at a very rapid rate during the first one and a half years of life. Their development is not only physical, it is also mental, emotionally, and social. These developments are

Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.

Infants and toddlers develop attachments to the people in their lives and make a relationship with them, depending on how parents and early childhood educators treat them. Young infants seek out security, and mobile infants are excited to explore. Also, toddlers are working on their identity, and they want to know who they are.

Algebra is a critical aspect of mathematics which provides the means to calculate unknown values. According to Bednarz, Kieran and Lee (as cited in Chick & Harris, 2007), there are three basic concepts of simple algebra: the generalisation of patterns, the understanding of numerical laws and functional situations. The understanding of these concepts by children will have an enormous bearing on their future mathematical capacity. However, conveying these algebraic concepts to children can be difficult due to the abstract symbolic nature of the math that will initially be foreign to the children. Furthermore, each child’s ability to recall learned numerical laws is vital to their proficiency in problem solving and mathematical confidence. It is obvious that teaching algebra is not a simple task. Therefore, the importance of quality early exposure to fundamental algebraic concepts is of significant importance to allow all

Children at this age also have different skills related to numeracy. Fostering numeracy skills in early childhood education not only predicts for later Math achievement but also for greater literacy skills (NAEYC, 2009). Since mathematical concepts are often intertwined with so many areas such as science, literacy, dramatic play, block building, and more, math learning centers offering interdisciplinary materials and activities ensure that young children grow to understand and appreciate the real life applications of mathematical concepts (Fu, 2010).

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).