Maths anxiety, a fear and dread of anything related to mathematical processes, is prominent among adults in today’s society. However, this presents an interesting question- Is this seed of fear and doubt planted at an early age? The recent sessions of my ‘Discovering Mathematics’ course have shown me that a thorough and positive teaching of maths should begin at an early age but showed be implemented in creative ways.

In the past, maths was taught in a very linear way, a practice that is rather out of date meaning it fails to keep children interested, By incorporating play, art and other fun learning forms we can make the learning and teaching of maths an extremely enjoyable process.

First, lets take a step back and look at how children further their cognitive development. From an early age, children are very aware of their surroundings and can take in lots of valuable information through sensory exploration. The following video expands on this-

Children become slowly aware of concepts such as size, colour and language through observing and mimicking those around them. Therefore, an early exposure to mathematical concepts will be extremely valuable in helping children in later years. They can slowly pick things up if introduced to them at a young age.

Play is a fantastic way to do this. When children play they are able to explore and develop their knowledge.  Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) emphasizes the fact that playing in a social environment develops learning. The following video shows how effective co-operative learning in relation to maths is an important tool in the classroom. I believe that if this was put into practice from the early stages of primary school, maths would be viewed in a more positive light, making it more understandable and enjoyable for children.

There are any ways to allow for maths based play such as the use of number or cubic blocks, sorting activities and linking animals for counting. All of these suggestions may not seem directly mathematical but they do enforce the fundamental mathematical skills described by Liping Ma (1999) which i find incredible!

Overall, I feel that it is vital that as a future teacher I promote and teach maths in a positive manner in the classroom. This module has made me realize that there are plenty of fun ways to implement maths teaching in the classroom but it is also important to recognize that this must be done from an early age. I want to introduce maths in a way that will engage young children and make them excited to learn more in the future. Play based activities are one effective way to do this and I hope to research more soon so that maths anxiety can be prevented before it begins to take shape.

References-

Ma, L. (1999) ‘Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers’ understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States’ , New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates