In a recent lecture, we were looking at mathematics and play. I feel this is a very divided topic. Some people are in favour of introducing more play into mathematics, others however would rather keep mathematics traditional. I can understand why, as many people view mathematics as traditional subject which is very much textbook based. I enjoyed sitting down with a text book and working my way through problems, there was no greater feeling than understanding a complicated mathematical concept and firing your way through a series of questions (and that is from someone who was never fond of mathematics.) However, education changes frequently and we must welcome these suggestions with a more open mind. I feel play is important especially in early years for allowing children to put their knowledge to use and to engage them.

My own personal of mathematics was never a positive one. I found mathematics difficult for as long as I can remember. I was never in the top math setting nor was I ever super speedy with my equations. It also took me a vast amount of time to understand mathematical concepts especially throughout my high school years. Would I have felt different about mathematics if it was more active? Yes, I think I would.

I feel at this point I must define what is meant by ‘play’ in mathematics. For me personally I don’t define play as children ‘playing’, I feel it is more about children being active, engaged and driving their own learning. Play can be physical such as children using cubes to create shapes or for working on their symmetry. They can be using sand or water for making shapes and patterns and filling boxes and materials of different shapes and sizes to compare weight and quantity. Play can be imaginative such as having a class café, they can be looking at recipes, measuring, dealing with money and time management. It can be something as basic as a jigsaw puzzle. Play can promote more mathematical discussion amongst the children and provide more opportunities for the use of mathematical language such as first, second, third, heavy and full. Now I understand that this does seem more directed towards younger children. However, there can be opportunities for older children to be more active in mathematics. They can be measuring the playground, running a shop or even developing mathematical skills on the computer.

I am also not stating that mathematics should be all play and absolutely no written work. I feel that there should be a balance between both. When introducing mathematical concepts to children it would be difficult to do this through play at first. They should be shown how to do the methods, provided with examples and provided with opportunities to do the questions themselves. Incorporating play after this point may be beneficial as it allows the children to reinforce their knowledge.

During our lecture, we were provided with an opportunity to implement play. We were provided with cubes which we had to pretend were a chocolate bar. We placed them together and count how many snaps it would take to break the bar into singular pieces and provide a formula. If this task had to be carried out individually and without physically being able to break the pieces, it would have proved difficult. However, as we worked in a group it was an enjoyable experience.

I feel play in mathematics particularly the activity we carried out in our lecture links to aspects of Liping Ma’s fundamental mathematics.

Basic Ideas – In order for us to create our own formula we had to have a basic understanding of how to do this i.e. basic calculation.

Multiple Perspectives – As we were working in a group each person had a different way of carrying out the calculation for the formula. We developed our mathematical language whilst discussing what would be the best way to do the formula.

Longitudinal Coherence – I feel this would be a good starting point for moving on to more complicated mathematics such as algebra.

By examining mathematics and play I feel it has developed my mathematic understandings as it has encouraged me to look at this topic from a new perspective. I am a firm believer of introducing mathematics in play, especially due to my terrible experience of mathematics. However, through discussion with peers and further reading I now appreciate that ensuring there is a balance of both play and textbook work is key. Mathematics is an ever evolving subject and it is important as professionals to embrace change. However, I feel there must still be traditional aspects involved in mathematics such as repetition and text book to ensure methods are embedded in children’s knowledge.

References

Ma, L. (2010) Knowing and teaching mathematics: Teacher’s understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States. 2nd edn. New York: Taylor & Francis