Integrating IT into a busy early years classroom is often not
perceived as an easy thing to do. However, with careful planning, and consideration of
aspects of management and organisation, integrating IT into the mathematics curriculum can
be effectively and successfully achieved. In any planning of the early years
curriculum the role of IT must be addressed, and mathematics provides a wealth of
opportunities where IT can be used to support, consolidate or extend mathematical
concepts, skills and understanding that are already taking place in the classroom.
In any preparation for the effective teaching and learning of mathematics we have to
clearly identify the learning objectives we wish the children to achieve. The provision
and management of stimulating resources to support the children's learning is all part of
the 'good practice' seen in so many early years classrooms, information technology,
whether computer systems, programmable toys, or calculators, has a valuable contribution
to play as a powerful resource to support mathematics and to develop children's IT
capability.
In the National Curriculum Key Stage I programmes of study it states that 'pupils
should be given opportunities to examine and discuss their experiences of IT and look at
the use of IT in the outside world'. Children's attention can be drawn to the use of
information technology in the 'real world' for example, in supermarkets, banks, travel
agents, and by people such as authors, doctors, designers and media presenters.
The role play corner can be transformed into many things, for example a cafÈ with
calculators and a till, a travel agents' with 'home produced' wordprocessed posters,
labels and brochures to show costs, length of holidays or day trips, with flight or coach
times and 'made up' exchange rates for different currencies.
Calendars and booking forms, (prepared on the computer by adults ideas by
children!) can be used to record the information. Or perhaps a newspaper office with
children designing adverts and articles, or a baby clinic where teddies and dolls are
measured and weighed on electronic scales and records kept.
Poems, rhymes and stories are widely used in the nursery, play groups and infant
classrooms, and these can provide a wonderful source for practical mathematical activities
which will stimulate children's interest and promote positive attitudes to mathematics
from an early age. In distinguishing the mathematical focus for the poem, story or rhyme
the next stage is to think how IT can be integrated. For example, 'The Three Bears' story
can be supported by a 'Dress the Teddy' program to develop sequencing and counting, or a
survey of children's favourite breakfasts where the information can be collected and
stored in a database and then graphs presented to show the findings.
Themes or topics can be used to promote cross-curricular work and encourage children to
'use and apply mathematics' in other subjects. For example, 'Ourselves' might include
aspects of measure and number - how many shells can I count into my box in 1 minute? How
tall am I? Are there more boys than girls with cats as pets in our class?
![web.gif (26181 bytes)](maths_images/web.gif)
Children are surrounded by IT-handling information: in shops, traffic signs,
home, and favourite fast food outlets. The level one descriptor for Information Technology
in the National Curriculum requires pupils to 'explore information held on IT systems
showing an awareness that information exists in a variety of forms'.
So IT into maths will go! But there is still the problem of 'how do I start?', and
'how do I develop the activity to enhance children's learning of maths and develop their
IT capability?'.
In planning for a theme on 'Clothes', I would devise a topic web to show subjects of
the curriculum that will be addressed, with focused activities and references to the
National Curriculum programmes of study where appropriate.
Mathematics focus
A key step for the development of information handling in mathematics is sorting into
sets according to different criteria. As an example, for the topic on clothes an idea
would be to look at the way our clothes fasten, with further work focusing on different
types of 'buttons'.
Strategies for planning the activity might be as follows:
Identify the learning objectives:
Mathematics
to sort buttons into two sets where one has a particular attribute and the other
does not (round, not round);
to sort sets using different criteria (colour, size, shape, material, number of
holes);
to display the data in a variety of ways (Venn, tree and Carroll diagrams);
to interpret the findings (language, pictorial and symbolic representation).
Information technology
to enter and store information'
to retrieve, process and display information that has been stored,
Resources required
Selection of buttons, plastic sorting rings, Carroll diagram cards, large pieces of
cardboard, card for labels, felt tipped pens, computer system with printer, computer
paper, and a tree structure data handling program.
Group size
The introduction can be to a large group, and the IT activity organised with a smaller
group, with perhaps an adult helper.
Making a start
Many activities can begin 'away from the computer'! After seating the children in a
circle on the floor, tip out the buttons and ask the children for ideas of how the buttons
can be sorted. Encourage the children to describe the buttons: What colours are there? How
many shapes can they see? What are the buttons made of? How many holes do they have? Do
they all have holes? Are the buttons different sizes? What sizes are there? Is the button
for an adult, child, or baby, or suitable for a male or female? Encourage the children to
sort the buttons in different ways. Show and explain how to use the plastic sorting rings
and Carroll cards for sorting. Allow children time to explore different ways of using
these, giving opportunities for them to describe how they have chosen to sort the buttons.
Developing the activity
Choose a small selection of buttons. Play a 'guess my button' game. Encourage the
children to ask questions that give a yes or no answer, for example:
Is it red? Does it have two holes? Is it for a baby? Allow the children to answer and
ask the questions. Introduce the tree diagram by demonstrating the pathway of a particular
button using two paths. Write appropriate labels for the pathways. Gradually increase the
number of paths, and make and add the labels.
After plenty of practical experience the children's understanding can be assessed by
asking them to select the buttons, choose the criteria for sorting, decide on the number
of pathways, make or choose the labels, display and then interpret the information.
Integrating Information technology
At this stage the children can be introduced to a tree structure database, for
example Sorting Game, Branch, or Wintree. With very young children it is
advisable to make a file using the familiar objects and go through the activity. Children
can then be encouraged to use the buttons to insert their own data, make a file and then
use it.
Extending the activity
The National Curriculum for Information Technology states that 'pupils should
use IT to sort and classify information and present their findings' (level 2). The
children could carry out a survey to find the number of different fastenings on their
clothes. Data could be collected and inserted into a 'card index type' database and graphs
produced to present their findings, to look for comparisons, or to test a hypothesis, for
example, 'Most clothes are fastened with buttons'. The results can be used to prove or
disprove the hypothesis.
Summary
Themes and topics with which young children are already familiar are ideal starting
points for developing information handling, for example, 'pets', 'ourselves', and
'transport'. The 'using and applying' of mathematics and the development of IT capability
can be integrated readily into these if careful and thorough planning has been involved.
Young children readily accept the computer in the classroom as another activity and it is
up to us as 'educators' and 'facilitators' to develop children's IT use appropriately and
effectively in their day to day learning of mathematics.
Yes: maths + IT = an essential factor for the early years curriculum.
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