As part of one of the undergraduate Bachelor of Education units offered as a specialisation unit in primary mathematics education at The University of Notre Dame Australia, the pre-service teachers were asked to complete an assignment. In this assignment they were given 12 typical algebra text book problems which they were asked to solve and then…

Primary teachers play a key role in their students' future mathematical success in the early secondary years. While the word "algebra" may make some primary teachers feel uncomfortable or worried, the basic arithmetic ideas underlying algebra are vitally important for older primary students as they are increasingly required to use "algebraic…

Engagement with mathematics during the primary years of schooling is crucial if students are to develop an appreciation for and understanding of the value of mathematics learning. It has been claimed that students who are engaged are more likely to learn, find the experience of schooling more rewarding, and are more likely to continue with higher…

This article outlines how a Brisbane independent school, Clayfield College, improved the ability of its Year 3 students to solve addition and subtraction word problems by utilising a schematic approach. It was observed that while students could read the words in the text of a written problem, many had difficulty identifying the core information…

Equivalence is mostly associated with the strand of Number and Algebra and is fundamental in both of the substrands. Equivalence is considered a key and foundational concept of algebra, and whereas an assumption might be made that equivalence is a relatively "easy" concept; studies have shown that when asked to balance an equation such as "8 + 4 =…

Although number sense is difficult to define, it involves having a good intuition about numbers and their relationships, including the ability to have a "feel" for the relative size of numbers and to make reasonable estimations. Students with good number sense typically recognise the relative magnitude of numbers, appreciate the effect of…

Reasoning is one of the proficiency strands of the new Australian Curriculum. It has always been important in mathematics and its importance has always been recognised in mathematics curricula across Australia. However, the new proficiency strand provides an opportunity for all teachers to reconsider how they teach this essential aspect of…

Autism is a neural development disorder which impairs one's ability to socialise, communicate, process sensory information, and those with autism experience restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. These signs all begin before three years of age and the child may have difficulty with organising their responses, with inhibition of repetitive…

Developing critical numeracy is important in a society where mathematics plays a particular and significant role. One way of helping learners to develop the level of numeracy required to participate in society is by exploring ideas embedded in rich, accessible tasks. These can be linked to contexts that have relevance in their lives. One…

This article describes some aspects of Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development. It highlights the importance of giving young children specific access to explore conservation in measurement, which will give students invaluable experiences in measurement that in years to come will be regarded as their prior knowledge of the concept. This is…

A number of underlying principles for including technology in the mathematics classroom is provided by Way and Webb (2006). They see technology, if incorporated in a rich and meaningful way, as potentially providing: (1) a shift from "instructivist" to constructivist education philosophies; (2) a move from teacher-centred to student-centred…

Digital cameras are now commonplace in many classrooms and in the lives of many children in early childhood centres and primary schools. They are regularly used by adults and teachers for "saving special moments and documenting experiences." The use of previously expensive photographic and recording equipment has often remained in the domain of…

Decipipes are a representational model that can be used to help students develop conceptual understanding of decimal place value. They provide a non-standard tool for representing length, which in turn can be represented using conventional decimal notation. They are conceptually identical to Linear Arithmetic Blocks. This article reviews theory…

In this article, the authors describe a reform-based activity concerning multiplication, developed within the context of the children's story "The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs" by Phoebe Gilman. They also provide vignettes of informal multiplicative thinking by Grade 2/3 children that occur during these activities. The informal multiplicative…

In this article, the author describes an open-ended drawing task that was used to discover young children's experiences with, and understandings of, the concept of mass. Mass is defined as the amount of matter in an object, and, like time, it cannot be seen (NSW Department of Education and Training Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate…