1. Problem Solving in the Early Years
Penny Earl
Helen Spowage
Katie Delaney

2. Introductions Penny Helen Katie
Delegates – you are a diverse audience!!
Preschools, nurseries, day care, infant schools, junior schools, primary schools.
North Lincs, North East Lincs
Helen and Katie will be providing practical examples of their work with Foundation Stage children and their families – while this relates to their work in Westwoodside school, I hope all delegates – from whichever stage – will be able to translate this into something you can take to your own situation
challenge books and creativity in maths but also the floor books we do and the link their with maths questioning and simple data handling.

3. EYFS Statutory Framework
Areas of Learning and Development
Prime
Specific
7 areas of learning and development
Prime:
Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas, are:
• communication and language;
• physical development; and
• personal, social and emotional development.
1.5 Providers must also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:
• literacy;
• mathematics;
• understanding the world; and
• expressive arts and design.

4. Maths
1.6 Educational programmes must involve activities and experiences for children, as follows …
… Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
EYFS Statutory Framework

5. Early Learning Goal 11: numbers
Children count reliably with numbers from one to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including doubling, halving and sharing. Explanatory note: Within play and other practical situations, the child counts and orders numbers from 1-20 and finds one more or one fewer than a given number. Using every day and play objects, the child applies a range of strategies to add and subtract quantities involving two single-digit numbers such as counting on to add and counting back to subtract. In a range of practical and play contexts the child explores and solves problems involving doubling, halving and sharing, utilising his or her own methods.
So …Maths…. 2 ELGs
this is the first year of the “new eyfs” and we know that this incorporates an increased level of challenge -
ELG 11 Numbers:
Children count reliably with numbers from one to 20, place them in
order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using
quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and
count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including doubling,
halving and sharing.
Explanatory note: Within play and other practical situations, the child counts and orders numbers from 1-20 and finds one more or one fewer than a given number.
Using every day and play objects, the child applies a range of strategies to add and
subtract quantities involving two single-digit numbers such as counting on to add and counting
back to subtract.
In a range of practical and play contexts the child explores and solves problems involving doubling, halving and sharing, utilising his or her own methods.
ELG 12 Shape, space and measures:
Children use everyday language to talk about size,
weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and
objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They
explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical
language to describe them.
Explanatory note: The child uses everyday language to share their thinking about size, weight,
capacity, position, distance, time and money.
The child demonstrates that they understand that one quantity is different to another even if they
do not know the correct comparative term.
The child is able to recognise and describe patterns and notices them in the environment. The child makes patterns using a range of media and resources.
The child notices and describes everyday objects and shapes using appropriate mathematical
language.
Assessment
( This descriptor has been amended to reflect the increased level of challenge applied to the expected descriptor following the Tickell review.)
2.1 eyfs statutory framework
…..In their interactions with children, practitioners should respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress, and observations that parents and carers share.
Link to Katie and Helen – challenge books – parental engagement

6. Early Learning Goal 12: shape space and measures
Children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them. Explanatory note: The child uses everyday language to share their thinking about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money. The child demonstrates that they understand that one quantity is different to another even if they do not know the correct comparative term. The child is able to recognise and describe patterns and notices them in the environment. The child makes patterns using a range of media and resources. The child notices and describes everyday objects and shapes using appropriate mathematical language.
So …Maths…. 2 ELGs
this is the first year of the “new eyfs” and we know that this incorporates an increased level of challenge -
ELG 11 Numbers:
Children count reliably with numbers from one to 20, place them in
order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using
quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and
count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including doubling,
halving and sharing.
Explanatory note: Within play and other practical situations, the child counts and orders numbers from 1-20 and finds one more or one fewer than a given number.
Using every day and play objects, the child applies a range of strategies to add and
subtract quantities involving two single-digit numbers such as counting on to add and counting
back to subtract.
In a range of practical and play contexts the child explores and solves problems involving doubling, halving and sharing, utilising his or her own methods.
ELG 12 Shape, space and measures:
Children use everyday language to talk about size,
weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and
objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They
explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical
language to describe them.
Explanatory note: The child uses everyday language to share their thinking about size, weight,
capacity, position, distance, time and money.
The child demonstrates that they understand that one quantity is different to another even if they
do not know the correct comparative term.
The child is able to recognise and describe patterns and notices them in the environment. The child makes patterns using a range of media and resources.
The child notices and describes everyday objects and shapes using appropriate mathematical
language.
Assessment
( This descriptor has been amended to reflect the increased level of challenge applied to the expected descriptor following the Tickell review.)
2.1 eyfs statutory framework
…..In their interactions with children, practitioners should respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress, and observations that parents and carers share.
Link to Katie and Helen – challenge books – parental engagement

7. Westwoodside Church of England Primary School
Challenge Books
Floor Books
Helen and Katie
20 minutes

8. Ofsted
… has yet to provide further opportunities to fully support younger children’s awareness of number, shape, space and measure during every day play opportunities
… does not fully maximise opportunities to consistently support younger children’s awareness of number during daily play and activities
…opportunities to use mathematical language in a variety of situations are sometimes missed
Penny – 10 minutes
Helen and Katie are from a school
We know that we have delegates throughout the day from a range of settings – including preschools.
What we know from recent reports - recommendations from Ofsted from childminder inspections in the LA September 2012 onwards.

9. Ofsted
….does not yet provide opportunities for older children to develop mark making skills
Assessments of some children’s progress have yet to include their achievements within the specific areas of learning. This information has then yet to be used to plan future challenging experiences to effectively ensure children are making progress across all areas of learning.
So…how are we supporting this?

10. Provision - environment
How can you use the environment to support mathematical development?
Numbers and Patterns
Enabling Environments – potential opportunities for enhancing day to day provision
Learning Environment Audit – indoor and outdoor
Development Matters
Provides support for what adults can do,
and what they can provide
Numbers and Patterns –
Enabling environments –
Development matters.

11. Songs and rhymes
Important for introducing, reinforcing and consolidating not just numbers and their names, but also mathematical concepts and early counting skills
Do we give enough thought to what these types of rhymes actually achieve?
Are in danger of thinking that all number rhymes and songs are beneficial to all children at all stages of their development?
Analyse the mathematical concepts held within each rhyme and, in a truly mathematical approach, find the right sequence in which to present them.
Maths Fingerplays and Chants - pdf
NCETM Early Years Magazine
National Centre for Excellence in the teaching of Mathematics
Using rhymes, songs and stories – suggested in Developments Matters (Positive Relationships… what adults can do) – however…
However, we often do not provide any logical sequence to the use of number songs. Let’s look again at the ubiquitous series of songs which start with 5 – those currant buns, peapods, little men etc. All these songs are based on subtraction. This is a big leap forward in the sequence of mathematical concepts and yet, time and again, we mix them up with the counting rhymes and songs in our Early Years settings. We catapult children into a world of subtraction before they have any knowledge of sound number naming and developed counting skills. And sometimes, we are not just subtracting by 1, but subtracting by 2 with each verse, as in ‘Ten Fat Sausages’. We should begin children’s journeys into the world of mathematics by consolidating their knowledge of number names and their values and developing a facility with these concepts before we begin more advanced mathematical processes like subtraction.
Helen Earl’s progression in number rhymes – literacy
Should we do similar for maths??

12. ICT resources
Study Ladder – free; teacher and child log ons )
TES iBoard – subscription, but some free resources
Apps – many and varied
Interactive resources – Interactive Teaching Programs (ITPs), Smart Notebook
Study Ladder -
Free, educational resources more than 10 subjects
TES iBoard
Subscription – very reasonable
Some free resources.

13. Supporting Learning and Development
Long term thinking
Opportunities for maths through play
Planning throughout the day
Verity and Sonia – training – initially for Childminders, now being rolled out to settings.
Show and explore the documents
Supporting Learning and Development in the EYFS – November training

14. Westwoodside Church of England Primary School
Creativity in Maths
Helen and Katie – 20 minutes

15. Characteristics of Effective Learning
Playing and exploring – engagement
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to ‘have a go’
Active learning – motivation
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically – thinking
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
Penny – 5 minutes
1.10 In planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners must reflect on the different ways that children learn and reflect these in their practice. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are ….. As screen.
Playing and Exploring, Active Learning, and Creating and Thinking Critically support children’s learning across all areas

16. EYFS Statutory Framework
Planned, purposeful play
A mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity
Play is essential for children’s development
Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.
Respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests
Shift towards more adult led activity as development allows
1.9 Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. There is an ongoing judgement to be made by practitioners about the balance between activities led by children, and activities led or guided by adults. Practitioners must respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, positive interaction. As children grow older, and as their development allows, it is expected that the balance will gradually shift towards more activities led by adults, to help children prepare for more formal learning, ready for Year 1.

17. What’s out there… Children thinking Mathematically Mark Making Matters
Numbers and Patterns
Development Matters
Internet resources – computer, tablet
Interactive resources
Training
2009 – but still very relevant
Development Matters undergoing review – useful –
observing what a child is learning,
ideas for what adults can do to support learning,
ideas for what adults can provide (environment)
Numbers and Patterns
Learning environment audit
Training
Monitoring Children's Progress in Learning and Development – October
Supporting Learning and Development in the EYFS (Group Provision) – November
Internet resources
Study ladder – free
TES iboard – some free
Apps – many
Interactive resources –
Smart Notebook images, ITPs

18. What’s next for you?