Numeracy and

Mathematics
Pilarica C. Jison, MEd
,
 Why is Numeracy
Important?

• Basic number concepts and skills

(numeracy) generally emerge before
school entry. It is important to
promote the development of these
competencies in young children and
to know the best learning methods,
as these skills are often predictive of
children’s future school
achievement.
A child's first years are a time of rapid learning
and development. Babies and toddlers can
recognize number, patterns, and shapes. They
use math concepts to make sense of their
world and connect these concepts with their
environment and everyday activities.
 What is
Mathematics?
Mathematics is a f ield of study involving
numbers and specialized operations that
make dealing with quantities easier for
us.

Dif f icult concepts of time, speed, velocity,

heat, light, valences etc. are easy to
understand with the help of mathematical
symbols and operations.

However, pure mathematics that is explained

using symbols and signs alone is complex
and goes beyond numbers. Mathematics
consists of many subf ields such as geometr y,
algebra, trigonometr y, calculus, etc.
 Difference
Between
Numeracy and
Mathematics
Early Math
Development
• The term “early math” refers to a broad range of basic
concepts such as counting (1, 2, 3); quantity (more,
fewer); shapes (circles, squares, triangles); spatial
relations (over, under); measurement (tall, short;
bigger, smaller); and patterns (red, blue, red, blue).

• Young children love to actively explore as they seek to

understand what is going on around them. As they
investigate their environment, they can build
mathematical knowledge during everyday
interactions.
• The concept of positive mathematics identities
is important because young children’s early
experiences with mathematics can influence
their confidence in their ability to understand and
use mathematics in later school years.

• Early mathematics learning can challenge

children to explore ideas about patterns and
relationships, order and predictability, and
measurement.
 Our Role as
Teachers
• Supportive instruction occurs in classroom
environments that are conversationally rich,
encourage children’s thinking, and respect
and nurture children’s explorations.

• It is important to keep in mind that

mathematics appears in all aspects of
children’s play experiences so that the
support you provide children will reinforce and
extend children’s understandings in an
authentic way.
Stages of Numeracy Development
References

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