Teaching Primary Mathematics 1

Unit code: EEC1106 | Study level: Undergraduate
12
(Generally, 1 credit = 10 hours of classes and independent study.)
Footscray Park
Online Real Time
VU Online
N/A
Overview
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Overview

This unit focuses on enhancing your mathematical content knowledge for teaching, developing your pedagogical skills, and building your confidence, creativity, and communication abilities for teaching mathematics to primary school children. You will reflect on your experiences of learning mathematics and evaluate your understanding of the mathematics necessary for teaching primary students.

The main mathematical topics covered in this unit include measurement, space, statistics, and probability. You will assess and develop your own skills, knowledge and understanding of the concepts in these strands. You will engage in mathematical problem-solving involving rich tasks, open questions, and cross-curricular contexts as you extend your knowledge of mathematics teaching.
You will also investigate effective curriculum and teaching strategies for these topics in relation to primary school children. This will involve reviewing research on successful teaching methods, analysing teaching sequences, and applying real-world contexts. You will also explore effective mathematical models and approaches to develop deep and connected mathematical understanding.


This unit contributes to the course's intentions of strengthening the connection between theory and practice, ensuring that graduate teachers have deep and developing connected understandings of the content they are teaching and the pedagogical approaches for implementing the curriculum in mathematics (as part of the STEM curriculum). This unit also connects with the course learning outcome of demonstrating an understanding of a broad and coherent body of knowledge content, pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment in relation to the changing nature of education in a rapidly evolving global context.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. Review the research and their own observations on how students learn, common conceptions and misconceptions and suggested approaches for teaching mathematics to primary school students;
  2. Create a repertoire of learning, teaching and assessment strategies relevant to the mathematics curriculum (measurement, space, statistics and probability) and develop cross curricular connections;
  3. Evaluate their own experience of learning mathematics, and then extend their understanding of measurement, space, statistics and probability content required for teaching in primary schools;
  4. Identify the implications of the literacy demands and apply to primary mathematics.

Assessment

For Melbourne campuses

Assessment type: Presentation
|
Grade: 30%
Group design of a problem-based activity which promotes the teaching/learning of an aspect of the primary mathematics curriculum.
Assessment type: Presentation
|
Grade: 30%
Video presentation demonstrating the explicit teaching within the primary mathematics curriculum
Assessment type: Project
|
Grade: 40%
Sequence of learning on an identified topic within the primary mathematics curriculum

Required reading

Helping Children Learn Mathematics. E-text.
Reys, R., Rogers, A., Bragg, L., Cooke, A., Fanshawe, A., Gronow, M.,(2021).| John Wiley & Sons Publishing.

As part of a course

This unit is not compulsory for any specific course. Depending on the course you study, this unit may be taken as an elective.

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