Subject: Curriculum, Planning and Development for Early Childhood

Education
Course Code: BEC 1233
Credit:3

• Mathematics
 Mathematics

• Number Sense 
• Number sense is an important construct that separates surface level
understanding from subject mastery. Find out how it affects
mathematical fluency and how your learners can develop it. So, what
is number sense and why it is important for learners to develop this
skill?
• The construct of number sense refers to a child’s fluidity and flexibility
with numbers. It helps children understand what numbers mean,
improving their performance of mental mathematics, and giving them
the tools to look at math in the outside world and make comparisons.
• How to spot number sense
• Children develop number sense gradually over time and at different rates through exploring
numbers, visualizing them in a variety of contexts, and relating them in ways that are not limited
by formal written methods.
• One can track their progress by checking for the following:
• An awareness of the relationship between number and quantity
• An understanding of number symbols, vocabulary, and meaning
• The ability to engage in systematic counting — including notions of cardinality and ordinality
• An awareness of magnitude and comparisons between different magnitudes
• An understanding of different representations of number
• Competence with simple mathematical operations
• An awareness of number patterns including recognizing missing numbers
• What good number sense looks like
• 
• Good number sense helps children manipulate numbers to make
calculations easier and gives them the confidence to be flexible in their
approach to solving problems.
• Children who develop number sense can assess how reasonable an
answer is, and routinely estimate answers before calculating. They look
for connections and readily spot patterns in numbers, which helps them
predict future outcomes. They have several approaches to calculating
and problem solving and can use and adapt these for new situations.
• Children with good number sense enjoy playing with and exploring
numbers and number relationships. As a result of these strategies,
they can often find the most efficient solution to the problem.
• 
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• Algebra and functions (classification and patterning)
• "Patterns, Functions, and Algebra" explores the "big ideas" in algebraic
thinking, such as finding, describing, and using patterns; using functions
to make predictions; understanding linearity and proportional
reasoning; understanding nonlinear functions; and understanding and
exploring algebraic structure. The course consists of 10 two-and-a-half
hour sessions that each include video programming and activities,
provided online and in a print guide. The 10th session explores ways to
apply the algebraic concepts you've learned in K-8 classrooms. You
should complete the sessions sequentially.
• Algebraic Thinking
• Discover what it means to think algebraically and learn to use
algebraic thinking skills to make sense of different situations. Topics
covered include describing situations through pictures, charts, graphs,
and words; interpreting and drawing conclusions from graphs; and
creating graphs to match written descriptions of real-life situations.
• Patterns in Context
• Explore the processes of finding, describing, explaining, and predicting using patterns.
Topics covered include how to determine if patterns in tables are uniquely described
and how to distinguish between closed and recursive descriptions. This session also
introduces the idea that there are many different conceptions of algebra.
• 
• Functions and Algorithms
• Investigate algorithms and functions. Topics covered include the importance of doing
and undoing in mathematics, determining when a process can or cannot be undone,
using function machines to picture and undo algorithms, and recognizing that
functions produce unique outputs.
•.
• Proportional Reasoning
• Look at direct variation and proportional reasoning. This investigation will help differentiate
between relative and absolute meanings of "more" and compare ratios without using
common denominator algorithms. Topics include differentiating between additive and
multiplicative processes and their effects on scale and proportionality and interpreting
graphs that represent proportional relationships or direct variation.
• Linear Functions and Slope
• Explore linear relationships by looking at lines and slopes. Using computer spreadsheets,
examine dynamic dependence and linear relationships and learn to recognize linear
relationships expressed in tables, equations, and graphs. Also, explore the role of slope and
dependent and independent variables in graphs of linear relationships and the relationship
of rates to slopes and equations.
•.
• Solving Equations
• Look at different strategies for solving equations. Topics include the different meanings
attributed to the equal sign and the strengths and limitations of different models for
solving equations. Explore the connection between equality and balance, and practice
solving equations by balancing, working backwards, and inverting operations.
• Nonlinear Functions
• Continue exploring functions and relationships with two types of nonlinear functions:
exponential and quadratic functions. This session reveals that exponential functions are
expressed in constant ratios between successive outputs and that quadratic functions
have constant second differences. Work with graphs of exponential and quadratic
functions and explore exponential and quadratic functions in real-life situations.
•.
• More Nonlinear Functions
• Investigate more nonlinear functions, focusing on cyclic and reciprocal functions.
Become familiar with inverse proportions and cyclic functions, develop an
understanding of cyclic functions as repeating outputs, work with graphs, and
explore contexts in which inverse proportions and cyclic functions arise. Explore
situations in which more than one function may fit a particular set of data.
• Algebraic Structure
• Take a closer look at "algebraic structure" by examining the properties and
processes of functions. Explore important concepts in the study of algebraic
structure, discover new algebraic structures, and solve equations in these new
structures.
• Measurement
• 
• Measurements are ways that we tell others how much of an item we
have. There are two systems of measuring things—English and Metric.
English measurements are used only in the United States, while
metric measurements are used in nearly every other country.
Measurements are used to give number values to distance (length,
width, and height), weight, time, volume (liquid measurements), and
temperature.
• Years ago, people came up with standard length measures, but they
didn't all agree on one system. The Imperial System (which uses yards,
feet, inches, etc. to measure length) was developed over hundreds of
years in the UK. Then the French came up with the Metric System
(origins in 1670, but developed in the 1790s), which soon spread
through Europe, and then most of the world, even to England itself in
1965. The USA developed their own version of the Imperial system
but the Metric System is also used in the USA, particularly in Science.
• Geometry
• 
• 
• Geometry is the fourth math course in high school and will guide you
through among other things points, lines, planes, angles, parallel lines,
triangles, similarity, trigonometry, quadrilaterals, transformations,
circles and area.
• A line is defined as a line of points that extends infinitely in two
directions. It has one dimension, length. Points that are on the same
line are called collinear points.
• Mathematical reasoning
• 
• Every lesson is followed with a variety of fun, colorful activities to
ensure concept mastery.  The lessons and activities spiral slowly,
allowing students to become comfortable with concepts, but also
challenging them to continue building their problem-solving skills. 
These books teach more than mathematical concepts; they teach
mathematical reasoning, so students learn to devise different strategies
to solve a wide variety of math problems.  All books are written to the
standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• 
• Types of Reasoning in Math
• 
• In terms of mathematics, reasoning can be of two major types which are:
• 
• Inductive Reasoning
• Deductive Reasoning
• 
• Among the other types of reasoning are intuition, counterfactual thinking,
critical thinking, backwards induction and abductive induction.
• Inductive Reasoning
• 
• In the Inductive method of mathematical reasoning, the validity of the
statement is checked by a certain set of rules and then it is
generalized. As inductive reasoning is generalized, it is not considered
in geometrical proofs. Here, is an example which will help to
understand the inductive reasoning in math better.
• The Malaysian early learning and development system
• 
• 
• The early childhood education is provided for children from birth to six
years old in Malaysia. It is funded by several government agencies as well
as non-governmental organizations. However, it isn’t part of the formal
Malaysian education system, thus it is optional. The non-profit early
education programs run by the government focus on socioemotional
development and not so much on academic achievements. These
preschools are usually located in the more rural areas.
• Instead, the private for-profit preschools located in the more urban
areas place a large emphasis on academics. The private preschools’
administrators may thus choose the curriculum and the medium of
instructions to be used in the preschool by themselves. However,
even though the Ministry of Education provides guidelines as a base
for the curriculum of four to six-year-olds, there are no specific
curriculum guidelines for children under the age of four.
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