Young Children’s Photographs of Addition in the School Environment

Abstract

Young children often face difficulty in acquiring Mathematics concepts. This study examined how photograph assist young children to understand the concept of early number and engage in addition activities within classroom learning. The study employed case study research design and involved six children (aged six years) in one preschool centre. Data was collected using observation, informal interviews and analysis of photograph produced by the focus group whilst engaged in various addition activities. The findings showed that photographs function as visual mathematical representations that facilitate and reinforce young children's understanding of addition concept. The study implicated that young children's creation of visual mathematical representations is an essential learning approach among young children and could be best assisted by the use of information technology and communication applications.

Use of Multiple Representations in Understanding Addition: The Case of Pre-school Children

“…Mathematics teachers worldwide introduce a variety of representation forms during instruction, which may include concrete materials, visual images, i.e. pictures and photographs, written, and spoken symbols (Bakar & Karim, 2019;Elia, Gagatsis & Demetriou, 2007;Rosli, Goldsby & Capraro, 2015). Meanwhile, students create different representation forms to help them access ideas in mathematics, present their thinking, and find solutions.…”

“…Past researches have given emphasis to the benefits of using multiple representations (e.g. realworld situations, pictures, photographs, physical, verbal, and written symbols) for both the teaching and learning of mathematics, to ease the communication of mathematical ideas and thinking, to help understand concepts in mathematics, and to aid in problem-solving activities (Ahmad, Tarmizi & Nawawi, 2010;Ayub, Ghazali & Othman, 2013;Bakar & Karim, 2019;Elia et al, 2007;Rosli, Goldsby & Capraro, 2015). Despite the advantages of using multiple representations, as have been reported in previous studies, little is explored about young children's mathematical understanding, especially pertaining to the concept of addition.…”

Young Children’s Representations: A Model for Using and Understanding Representations

“…A variety of representation forms comprising diagrams (Diezmann & English, 2001;Pantziara, Gagatsis, & Elia, 2009;van Garderen et al, 2013), number lines (Bobis, 2007;Gonsalves & Krawec, 2014) and pictures (Stohlmann, Yang, Huang, & Olson, 2019;Woleck, 2001) have been conducted across various mathematical topics (numbers, operations and probability). With the recent advancement in technology, researchers have investigated the potential of technology-based representations to aid mathematical sense making (Bakar & Karim, 2019;Özmantar, Akkoç, Bingölbali, Demir, & Ergene (2010), particularly in the support of the learner's visualizations. Researchers involved in these studies assert that students employ representations, as various representations support the students' understanding of mathematical concepts and facilitate problem-solution.…”

“…Despite the large number of studies investigating representation usage in the teaching and learning of mathematics, research involving young children and their use of representations in learning are scarce (Johns, 2015). Researchers have used children's' drawings to gain insights into their exposures, experiences and understanding of various mathematical concepts involving numbers and operations, mass, time and length (Bakar & Karim, 2019;MacDonald, 2010;MacDonald & Lowrie, 2011;Smith & MacDonald, 2009;Thomas, Mulligan, & Goldin, 2002). Mathematics educators and researchers around the globe have acknowledged the significance of representations in teaching and learning and have indicated that representations facilitate students in the communication and construction of mathematical thinking and ideas (Rosli, Goldsby, & Capraro, 2015;Ainsworth et.…”