Patterns and Relationships

The national Curriculum for mathematics (1995) allocates great emphasis on number work for children. The basic skills and knowledge for such work should be learnt and taught in a meaningful manner in order to establish a useful foundation for further learning and development of mathematical ability.

Marion Bird's second book on this subject provides a rich and comprehensive account on theoretical issues and practical approaches. It outlines a series of suggestions for activities that the teacher could use in order to stimulate mathematical thinking to address the National Curriculum requirements for early number work. The activities will:

• enable the child to make and monitor mathematical decisions
• develop mathematical language and communication
• develop mathematical reasoning
• concentrate on the structure of numbers
• prepare the child for later work on algebra,  space and measures of handling data