Students will write academic essay on the role of the educator teaching early childhood mathematics. They will draw on the content of the course including the academic literature and tutorial activities to explore their own values and biases in a culturally diverse learning environment.

Criteria:
– Demonstrate understanding of early childhood mathematical teaching approaches. Explains; the role of the teacher, the way children and adults learn mathematics, how children learn math through play, exploring math in nature, how the connection between math learning and literacy and other curriculum areas and the use of technology in young children mathematical learning.
– Recognize the importance of diversity in teaching strategies.
Explains why it is important to differentiate learning resources and to modify math teaching and learning to cater different level of skills and needs in children.
– Identify and evaluate personal values and biases. Explain how your own personal values and biases affects your teaching of early childhood mathematics.
– Describe the importance of positive experiences on children’s self efficacy. Explains how does the educator’s role in planning and supporting positive math experience effect the children? What does literacy says about children learning math?
– Use academic literature.

Resources:
Textbook: Mathematics in Early Years Education, Ann Montague-Smith, Tony Cotton, Alice Hansen and Alison J. Price, 4th Edition, 2018, Routledge, Oxon.