Pedagogy for literacy and numeracy in the early years

25/10/2013 Week 9

Cracking the code – the educators role to support children’s emerging literacy and numeracy – to support children to begin to crack the code make meaning of the world with increasingly sophisticated literacy and numeracy skills. 

Pedagogy in the early years can be problematic. There is rhetoric around play and child-centred learning but with the push to teach particular skills like mathematical concepts the focus shits quickly to more traditional teaching with instructional methodologies used to impart knowledge and formative assessment to determine learning.   

Gifford (2004) argues that “most early years mathematics research has focused on children’s competence, not pedagogy: it seems we have established what young children can confidently do, especially with regard to number, but we do not know much about ‘systematically helping children to learn’, “p 100. Gifford’s article highlights some of the main areas of research and theoretical perspectives that have influenced pedagogy and practice and concludes it is the holistic and integrated nature of early childhood learning and development that is important.  The article also offers key strategies for teaching with educators who are relational, playful, and non-confrontational, curious and knowledgeable.

Singh et al (2012) also concludes a broader socio-cultural perspective is required to support literacy learning for young children.  The authors argue that a more democratic and distributed leadership environment must replace a “heroic” style of early childhood leaders where all educators, families and perhaps also children are leaders in literacy learning.   The article is concerned with the pre-service teachers experience and the examples of philosophical change and transformative shifts in practice were insightful and inspiring. 

While I found these articles helpful in providing an overview of research and theoretical underpinnings of literacy and numeracy pedagogy I still have some questions.  Most research talks about pedagogy for children 3—5 so what does this mean for even younger children – infants and toddlers?  Can we draw conclusions about pedagogical approach for them? 

Sue Gifford (2004) A new mathematics pedagogy for the early years: in search

of principles for practice, International Journal of Early Years Education, 12:2, 99-115,

Singh, M., Han, J. And Woodrow, C., (2012) Shifting Pedagogies Through Distributed Leadership: Mentoring Chilean Early Childhood Educators In Literacy Teaching. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 37(4), Pp. 68-76.

Christine Ludwig (2003) Making Sense of Literacy, Newsletter Of The Australian Literacy Educators' Association, Queensland Studies Authority Feb