European Research in Mathematics Education I - Fakultät für ...

European Research in Mathematics Education I: Group 4 370
situations. After the lesson Beth shared that she had hoped to move onto comparisons of
the numbers ‘two is less than eight’, perhaps introducing subtraction ‘two is six less
than eight’, however she now realised that the children were finding these comparisons
difficult. None of the children offered comparative sentences without encouragement
and their articulation was limited. She therefore asked all the children to repeat the
sentences that had been offered and moved on. They would do further work on this
later.
At this stage the class were split into groups to work on different tasks all related to
the number ten. Some children worked with the classroom assistant and some unaided.
All of the children would eventually do each of the tasks. One group continued to work
with Beth. This consisted of Emma (5), Angela (5), Charles (4), Ian (5), Jacob (5).
Beth Right, you are getting very good at adding aren’t you?
She rehearses the bus rhyme with them once more using 5 + 5 and 9 +1.
Beth We are going to do some sums together now. What is 8 and 2 more?
Jacob Ten
Beth 7 and 3 more?
Emma Ten
The children seem to be remembering these except for Ian who was seen calculating on his
fingers.
This incident was noteworthy since it was the first occasion I observed Mrs. B.
asking the children calculations out of context. Although the questions are obviously
related to the bus situation they had just left, the pictures are no longer there to make the
link. So, Ian who previously conserved the number ten in context did not make this link
and was required to use his fingers to represent the numbers in order to calculate an
answer. Jacob and Emma seem to have made the link since they answered immediately
yet had not previously made sums to ten and could not later do these calculations out of
context.
The group were each given their maths books with a drawing of a bus and some
instructions written in.
Beth Right, if you look in your books you will see the bus. What does it say? ‘Draw 10
children on the bus’.
Charles I can read that.
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