When and How Do Educators Facilitate Mathematical Learning Opportunities for Babies and Toddlers?
摘要
This article examines when, and how, early childhood educators facilitate mathematical learning opportunities for babies and toddlers in Australian early childhood settings. The participants included babies and toddlers aged 2 to 40 months and their educators, across six different early childhood education settings. Data were gathered during case study visits in which the researcher spent up to two days in each site. Data gathering included continuous video recordings, video and photographic observations, field notes, documents such as learning stories and daily reflections, and anecdotes from educators. Audio and video data were transcribed, and then the corpus of data was coded thematically in order to identify when, and how, the educators facilitated mathematical learning opportunities for the babies and toddlers within the settings. The findings showed that educators undertook pedagogical actions to support children’s mathematical learning through children’s spontaneous play, planned learning experiences, everyday routines and transitions, and their use of displays and documentation. The data demonstrate how early childhood educators use everyday activities and resources to create learning contexts that encourage babies and toddlers to explore mathematical ideas.