TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating Children’s Thinking About Suspended Balances
AU - Cheeseman, Jillian
AU - McDonough, Andrea Mary
AU - Golemac, Dianne Maree
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - With limited prior research on young children’s learning of the measurement of mass, the study reported in this paper provides insights that can usefully inform teaching. Close examination of the actions and conversations of 12 children of 5–7 years of age, as they experimented for the first time with suspended balance scales, led to the identification of themes presented in this paper through focused discussion of the explorations of five of the children. Stimulated by exploration and investigation of the tool, children were creative in figuring out how the tool worked, reasoned mathematically, and gave attention to some “big” ideas of mathematics. They were also able to transfer knowledge, express notions of equivalence, mathematise and generalise from their experiences. The study emphasises the importance of eliciting children’s mathematical reasoning, the value of attending to what children notice, and the need for careful and specific use of comparative terms.
AB - With limited prior research on young children’s learning of the measurement of mass, the study reported in this paper provides insights that can usefully inform teaching. Close examination of the actions and conversations of 12 children of 5–7 years of age, as they experimented for the first time with suspended balance scales, led to the identification of themes presented in this paper through focused discussion of the explorations of five of the children. Stimulated by exploration and investigation of the tool, children were creative in figuring out how the tool worked, reasoned mathematically, and gave attention to some “big” ideas of mathematics. They were also able to transfer knowledge, express notions of equivalence, mathematise and generalise from their experiences. The study emphasises the importance of eliciting children’s mathematical reasoning, the value of attending to what children notice, and the need for careful and specific use of comparative terms.
KW - Equivalence
KW - Investigative play
KW - Mathematical reasoning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021329614&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40841-016-0073-9
DO - 10.1007/s40841-016-0073-9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85021329614
VL - 52
SP - 143
EP - 158
JO - New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies
JF - New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies
SN - 0028-8276
IS - 1
ER -