Session 3  on 14^th August 2013

Something about the dots on the dice.  Knowing the number without counting is important for all kindergartens.  To be able to see and to know the patterned dots and interpreting the dots on the dice as the number without counting is known as subitizing.  “Subitizing is the fundamental skill in the development of students’ understanding of number”, according to Baroody, p.115 (1987). 

Today I get to know that the standard dice of which both the numbers total sum opposite each other  is seven.  Among other practises of number bond of five-frames or ten-frames, the dice is another method that children learn number bond.  

Curriculum with mathematics activities had to be focused on the variation for progressive development and not repetitive of the same contents which stifle learning.  Besides having the well-structured and purposeful curriculum; supported by manipulative for concrete and visualisation to create model for pictorial to enhance  learning skills.

 

 

Session 4 on 15^th August 2013

Incidental learning is best and well-remembered by children because it is their agenda that they are interested with a purpose.  The scaffolding to hone children’s developing learning skill with purposeful and structural curriculum.  Drilling and practising is a regime to reinforce the learning process with children initiated interest.   Learning to tell time and numbering are the examples for incidental learning. 

Just beginning this year 2013, the six years old boy was his first to attend the childcare; previously he was from a three hour kindergarten program.  Every morning he would come teary and attacked by ‘separation anxiety’ when the mother left for work.  Once the mother left the childcare centre, he would consistently enquire about the time repetitively, “What time is it?”  My persistent reply to him is showing him the clock and telling him the time.  The reason for his anxiety to know the time because his mother promised to pick him by six o'clock.

After a month at the childcare centre, he told me that he is can read and tell the time now.  It is a successful story on his part; learning to tell the time through his purposeful interest. 

                             

 

Session 5 on 16^th August 2013

Dr Yeap walked us through the memory lane about the characteristics and properties of triangles namely the isosceles triangle, equilateral triangle, right angled triangle and scalene triangle.  As usual there are always minimum three methods to find out the angles and to proof the angles of a triangle, and all the three angles in a triangle is 180⁰.  The instrument to measure the degree of each angle of a triangle is the protractor.

The mathematics problem:                          

 ABCD is a parallelogram.  CFE is an isosceles triangle where CE = CF. DF and BE are straight lines.   The sum of  Ð CFE  &  Ð CBA is 162^o.   Find  Ð ECF.

This mathematics is a multi-steps problem which required visual with metacognition piled with number sense that enable and to s

Method 1:  Visualise and generalise through exploring the pattern.  Have the characteristics facts of the triangle for student to develop and to improve the required skills.

Method 2:  Develop the ability to visualise the patterns, relations and functions.

Method 3:  Making conjectures about properties and compute words or symbols of simplify expressions and equations. 

The class solved the multi-step problem using algebra.  We have great fun with all possibility answers but one by one was rejected after much discussion and reasoning.  The lesson was interactive  and all of us have a share in the contribution of the possible answers.  We enjoyed the interaction with laughter and jokes.  It was indeed fun!

 

 Session 6 on 17^th August 2013

  The key words of solving mathematics problems are patterning, generalisation, visualisation, reasoning, and inferring.

The planning of lessons to include differentiation instructions by the objective content, by process to customise for children who are of low progress, middle progress and high progress, and by product that the result of the progression content are of the same with different solutions.

The follow-up activities are very important that will progress and sustain children’s  learning development abilities from simple to complex.  The activities are hands on like folding and cutting papers, exploring, experimenting and predicting the outcome results after folding and cutting.  We also perform a trick which is no trick but base on patterning with  reasoning using metacognitive assisted by visualisation with concrete.