Number Agents

 In my last post I talked about a structured approach to maths. Unable to find anything that met my needs I launched into creating my very own scope and sequence.  Now as usual I am no expert, but I am great at researching, trialing and finding out what does and does not work for our learners. It has been a lot of hard work, but an absolute pleasure to be able to use it as I was writing it to make sure that it would work in a normal classroom environment, or one like mine, largely based on play. Why? This year the children starting in our class were not developmentally ready for agency...this was a first for me.  I also discovered that number sense was a challenge for many and a basic understanding of our number system had not yet been developed at an early level.  They had a lot of 'rote' learning...counting and recognising numerals, but didn't understand that these symbols carried a meaning.  Numerosity was not a strength, they did not understand the mean...

 So, I  have done a few posts in my facebook math group alluding to the fact that for a range of reasons I have had to alter the way I teach maths this year.   In the past I would have launched quickly into agency and Professor would have managed the knowledge and strategy development.  Unfortunately (or fortunately for my learning purposes) my class this year are on the whole developmentally lower than usual and their number sense is not what we would normally call a starting point.   Let me explain firstly that this isn't deficit thinking, it is me acknowledging that the best approach for the class currently in front of me isn't the dramatic/imagined world I usually present.  It wouldn't be the best use of my teaching time and developmentally they need maximum playing time...social and emotional needs must come first. Running parallel to this discovery has been my learning in structured literacy, which led to me thinking more about how we can ha...

 I think the title sums this up, this is a blog post I have been wanting to write for a while.  As a teacher absolutely committed to play, people are often surprised that I also advocate for children having a strong foundation in number and literacy.   I guess many think that if my class is play-based then this just does not fit with explicit teaching.  In fact this could not be further from the truth.  It is through developing an understanding of play, the role it plays in learning and the importance of providing a developmentally appropriate approach that led me in my pursuit of truly providing for the individual.  I am the first to acknowledge that I am certainly not at the end of my journey and in some aspects, this is just the beginning. This journey has also made me very well aware that levels and stages are a man made constraint placed upon learning and that age should not be a guide for how we engage with children.  A construct put in plac...

 Thank you to those that replied to my post on facebook about any burning questions they have about play.  I have endeavoured to answer them below.  Perhaps these answers will be helpful to others reading this.  I have to add once again, that I am not an expert, my understandings have been developed over the last six or more years as a teaching principal in a new entrant - Year two class. 1) I'm still trialing the best way to share/document all the fabulous play experience our children are creating for themselves. Our teachers use photos and short stories on dojo (good for parents), class learning stories books (lovely but lots of work) and class displays (constantly changing). Ideas on a way to document and share with parents, other teachers and the children themselves would be much appreciated This video of our learning journal may help. Quite honestly this has been my biggest area of learning and challenge.  To truly ensure play is a powerful mode of teaching...

 The past six or so years for me has been a massive journey and I thought it was time that I put down in a blog some of the most important things I have learned.  Hopefully this will be helpful to those starting out on their journey.   So what have I learned? 1)  Everyone has different ideas and understandings and this really gets in the way of people starting out.  The jargon really gets in the way of teachers bringing play to their classroom.  I find the purists of play can in fact put people right off even trying, they just make everything sound too hard! To clear this up, using games to teach maths and allowing children some input into how the game is played, is a playful mode of working.  But it is not play.   Allowing children a choice of activities that are hands on or invitational is a playful way of working, but it is not play. Putting the jigsaws and blocks out as a activity to do 'after the work' is a playful option, but it is...