Making it possible

Teachers have a significant role in children’s mathematics:  

• Children only use their Mathematical Graphics where the culture of their setting is open and democratic, where teachers and other adults recognise, value and understand their early marks and signs.
• A highly important aspect of graphicacy, is for teachers to frequently model a variety of graphical marks, signs and symbols, in contexts that are authentic and meaningful for the children. For the children, these signs are automatically added to their ‘mental toolboxes’, to be drawn on intuitively by individuals when required.
• Creating a rich learning environment resourced indoors and out with tools and materials to draw and write - enables young children to readily communicate in this way.*
• Rather than limiting children to numbers from 1-5, or 1-10, there should be no limit on numbers on number lines. For example, one nursery school displayed number lines up to 100, and one million, negative number lines, and some written in the home languages of children in the nursery.
• Young children are also fascinated by the concept of infinity, and supporting discussions triggered by a child about infinity, will help them build a holistic understanding of numbers.
• Having quantities of various resources - such as shells, fir cones, pebbles and corks - offers potential for play, enabling children to freely count, make their own arrangements and arrays and explore small and large quantities.

• Children's voices

* The photo on the right shows children freely and spontaneously using one of many child-height whiteboards that the nursery has, indoors and out.