MATHS IS ALL AROUND US © Laser Learning Ltd 2014

It’s easy to be afraid of numbers Afraid to be wrong Afraid to be laughed at Afraid to seem stupid Afraid to be discovered

Do children have an innate understanding of numeracy?

Yes They can recognise a small number of objects without having to count them They have an inbuilt ‘number sense’ So, what might go wrong?

How practitioners may negatively affect numeracy skills Formalise number learning too early Don’t encourage exploration and experimentation enough Don’t provide enough problem-solving activities Don’t develop reasoning skills with ‘what if’ questions Make children afraid to be wrong

Maths is all around us

Taking opportunities Talk to children about maths Ask children maths questions Set up activities that promote mathematical development Create a maths-rich environment Make good use of all of the everyday mathematical opportunities around you

Where’s the maths?

Where’s the maths?

Activity How do you help children to understand that it is ok to make mistakes? How do you react if you ask a child a maths-related question and they get the answer wrong? How does your reaction impact on the likelihood of them volunteering an answer next time? Talk over these points with a senior colleague or your line manager.