Merging Numeracy with Literacy Practices for Equity in Multilingual Early Year Settings

Description

This book draws on both in and out of school literacy practices with teachers and families to enhance the numeracy of early learners. It provides highly illustrative exemplars, targeted for learners up to approximately eight years of age whose home language differs from the language of instruction. It identifies the challenges faced by these learners and their families, and shares ways of building both literacy and numeracy skills for some of the vulnerable learners nationally and internationally. The book shares the outcomes and strategies for teaching mathematics to early years learners and highlights the importance of literacy practices for learners for whom the language of instruction is different from their home language. Readers will gain a practical sense of how to create contexts, classrooms and practices to scaffold these learners to build robust understandings of mathematics. Preface Acknowledgements Contents Part I Theories That Frame Our Work 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 A Note on the Experience of the Authors 1.3 Remote Numeracy Project 1.4 The South African Numeracy Chair Project 1.5 Early Years Focus and Terms Used 1.6 Educational Inequity and the Contexts in Which We Work 1.7 A Brief Historical Perspective on Educational Inequality in South Africa and Australia 1.7.1 South African Context 1.7.2 Australian Context 1.8 Language (Oppression) in the Australian and South African Education Contexts 1.8.1 Australian Context 1.8.2 South African Context 1.9 Early Years Policy in Australia and South Africa 1.9.1 Early Years and the South African Context 1.9.2 Early Years and the Australian Context 1.10 Summary 1.11 Structure of the Book References 2 From Exclusion to Inclusion for Marginalised Learners—Theoretical Perspectives 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Lens 1: Cultural Capital and Habitus 2.2.1 Linguistic Capital and Early Years Mathematics Learning 2.3 Lens 2: Language as Key Learning Tool and Second-Language Acquisition Models 2.4 Lens 3: Multimodal, Integrated and Play-Based Learning for Early Childhood 2.4.1 Multimodal Learning Opportunities 2.4.2 Play-Based Integrated Learning 2.5 Implications for Practice Focused on Inclusion References 3 The Literacy of Numeracy Practices in Multilingual Early Years Settings 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Literacy Practices in the Early Years 3.2.1 Whole Language and Phonics 3.2.2 100 Sight Words 3.2.3 An Integrated Approach 3.3 Bilingual and Multilingual Contexts 3.3.1 Mother-Tongue Instruction 3.3.2 Code Switching 3.4 Numeracy Practices in the Early Years 3.4.1 Importance of Families 3.4.2 Play and Scaffolding 3.4.3 Dialogic Talk References Part II Story-Based Resources for Developing Number Sense and Reasoning 4 Exploring Numeracy-Rich Rhymes and Stories 4.1 Building Awareness of Number Pattern and Structure 4.1.1 5 and 10 Are Important ‘Friendly’ Numbers 4.1.2 Using Rhymes to Connect Across Different Finger Representations 4.2 The Power of Narrative for Numeracy Learning 4.2.1 The Power of Numeracy-Rich Story Rhymes 4.2.2 Examples of Oral Rhymes for Early Numeracy and Literacy Learning 4.2.3 How Number Rhymes Support and Can Extend Learning 4.3 The Power of Numeracy-Rich Storybooks 4.3.1 Examples of Commercially Available Storybooks that Support Early Numeracy and Literacy Learning 4.3.2 Finding Maths-Rich Stories 4.3.3 Using Dialogic Reading to Engage with Numeracy Ideas References 5 Designing and Creating Maths-Rich Storybooks, Games and Related Activities 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The Umbrella Story: An Example of a Maths-Rich Story with Related Activities (Number Range 0–5) 5.2.1 The Numeracy Skills, Concepts and Processes in the Story 5.2.2 The Storyline 5.2.3 Question Prompts to Use in the Dialogic Reading of the Story 5.2.4 Story-Related Activities 5.3 The Sticks and Fire Story: An Example of a Maths-Rich Story and Related Activities (Number Range 0–10) 5.3.1 The Numeracy Skills, Concepts and Processes in the Sticks and the Fire Story 5.3.2 The Storyline 5.3.3 Question Prompts to Use in the Dialogic Reading of the Story 5.3.4 Story-Related Activities 5.4 Concluding Remarks References 6 A Resource Approach to Extending Numeracy Engagement Beyond School 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Assumptions Guiding Our Learner-Led Resource Approach to Engagement in the Home 6.3 Experiences of Our Learner-Led Resource Approach to Engagement in the Home 6.3.1 Insights from These Stories 6.4 Story-Based Resources for Extending Numeracy Engagement Beyond the Classroom 6.4.1 Sending Commercially Available Number Story Books Home 6.4.2 Creating Number Storybooks to Send Home 6.5 Game-Based Resources for Stimulating Numeracy Learning at Home 6.5.1 A Story-Based Game: ‘How Many Frogs Are Hiding?’ 6.5.2 An Oral Game: POP-FIZZ Let’s Make 10 6.5.3 Two Basic Card Games 6.5.4 Two Examples of Dice Games References Part III Engaging with the Formal Language of School Mathematics 7 Learning the Academic Language of Mathematics 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Big Books for Underserved Learners 7.2.1 Text, Reading and Worldviews 7.2.2 Shared Reading 7.3 Big Books: A Background 7.3.1 Pedagogical Practices Using a Big Book 7.3.2 Reading Fluency 7.3.3 Working Mathematically with Big Books 7.4 Big Books to Support Mathematical Language Development 7.4.1 Creating Big Books to Meet the Needs and Interests of Learners 7.5 Summary References 8 Big Books in a Multilingual Context 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Using Photographs 8.3 Making Books Relevant to the Context of the Learners 8.4 Themes for Books 8.4.1 Number 8.4.2 Spatial and Positional Language 8.4.3 Comparatives 8.4.4 Creating Big Books with a Mathematical Theme 8.5 Drawing on Home Languages 8.5.1 Working with Local People 8.5.2 Creating Bilingual Big Books 8.5.3 Learners as Teachers: Learners Modelling Literacy Behaviours 8.6 Big Books and the Imagination 8.6.1 Using Photoshop 8.7 ITAs as Leaders of Literacy: A Case Study of One Remote School 8.7.1 Background to the Case Study 8.7.2 Creating Stories in Kriol and English References 9 Mathematical Language Immersion Learning Environments 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Pedagogical Resources 9.2.1 Prompts for Independent Learning 9.2.2 Displaying Learners’ Work 9.3 Mathematics Vocabulary 9.3.1 Modelling Mathematical Talk 9.3.2 Warm up—Preparing for the Literacy Demands of Numeracy 9.4 Resources and Displays: Environmental Print 9.4.1 Themed Posters 9.4.2 Themed Displays 9.4.3 Word Walls 9.5 Resources for Two or More Languages 9.5.1 Creating Labels 9.5.2 Games, Songs and Rhymes 9.6 External Environments 9.6.1 External Mathematical Environments 9.7 Summary References Part IV Ubuntu and Community Links 10 Embracing Ubuntu in Community Partnerships 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Ubuntu 10.2.1 Ubuntu and Partnerships 10.3 Establishing Trust and Mutual Learning 10.4 Being Authentic and Abandoning Status 10.5 Being Part of the Local Team (Pitch in!) 10.6 Gaining Broader Community Trust 10.7 Being Identifiable 10.8 Gatekeeping and Authenticity 10.9 Beyond Formal Ethics: Responsiveness to Local Events and Customs 10.10 Considering the Consequences of the Stories We Tell 10.11 Concluding Remarks References