Mathematics in Early Childhood Part 4 (Pattern and Measurement)

Pattern and Measurement.

In this article, Pattern and Measurement will be discussed.

What are patterns?

Patterning is important as children can see connections and relationships between visual-spatial, addition, or multiplication elements, and it is about understanding, describing, creating, and extending patterns with a predicted repetition, and children should be able to articulate the pattern rule (Novakowski, 2015). Repeating patterns, spatial structure patterns, and growing patterns are three of some of the many patterns, and they all help children to predict, organise, and make connections (Chaillé, 2021).

For children to use patterns, they will repeat or increase and decrease patterns, whereby repeating patterns requires them to identify the regularity in the pattern that repeats, whereas increasing or decreasing the pattern, they will identify the regularity that affects each part of the pattern (Novakowski, 2015). For instance, if a child were to repeat a pattern of blocks, it would look like red-blue-red-blue. Whereas if the pattern is increased by a regularity, the child would build a staircase that increases in height with every two red blocks.

The Big Ideas for Pattern are firstly that patterns are sequences that repeat or grow, patterns are rule-governed that exist both in mathematics and reality, secondly, once the rule has been identified, then it can be predicted and generalised, and thirdly, one pattern can take many forms (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013).

Big Idea #1 of Pattern

Firstly, patterns are sequences that repeat or grow, and patterns are rule-governed that exist both in mathematics and reality.

A repeating pattern has a unit of repeat, which is a segment that repeats, that becomes the rule for the pattern, and that helps in understanding predictability (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013). Children can understand that is how a pattern is formed and can be continued.

Big Idea #2 of Pattern

Secondly, once the rule has been identified, it can be predicted and generalised.

The established rule must be followed to continue a pattern, so children can tell missing parts in a pattern, or even to extend it (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013). If the rule is not followed, then it is no longer a pattern.

Big Idea #3 of Pattern

Thirdly, one pattern can take many forms.

This is a more abstract concept in which representation is used in simple algebraic concepts, such as using a clap to show orange, and this can occur only when children have multiple learning opportunities (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013). Children can then learn to understand that a pattern structure can be represented in many ways, so this can be achieved through concrete materials, body movements, or even verbal prompts.

What is measurement?

Measurement is about a concept and a process, the comparison of the sizes of objects, and it has a unit descriptor and numerical value, while also requiring many skills and concepts, such as attribute, conservation, transitivity, point of origin or baseline, direct comparison, indirect comparison, unit, size of unit, iteration, and estimation using a referent (Novakowski, 2016).

The Big Ideas for Measurement are, firstly, that many different attributes can be measured just from one object, secondly, all measurements require fairness in comparison, and thirdly, quantifying a measurement helps in more precise comparison and descriptions (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013).

Big Idea #1 of Measurement

Firstly, many different attributes can be measured just from one object.

Attribute refers to an object’s dimensions being measured, conservation is about how an attribute of an object remains the same regardless of the position or movement, and transitivity is about having a third object to compare the lengths of two objects (Novakowski, 2016).

Measurement is how objects can be identified by attributes of weight, temperature, length, circumference, volume, or number, and for young children, this is a complex process, so they can also identify which attribute of the object to focus on, because an object can be both bigger and smaller than another, depending on the attribute (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013). Children may claim that a taller bottle holds more water, but actually, they are describing the height instead of the capacity.

Big Idea #2 of Measurement

Secondly, all measurements require fairness in comparison.

Accuracy is important, so there must be fairness during measurement, such as lining up objects to use direct comparison (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013). A child would not be able to tell if two vases are the same height if they are not next to each other.

Point of origin or baseline is using a zero point to start measuring objects for comparison, direct comparison is placing two objects next to each other to compare lengths, and indirect comparison is using another object to compare the lengths of two objects (Novakowski, 2016). Indirect comparison is using a string to check if two toys are the same length.

Big Idea #3 of Measurement

Thirdly, quantifying a measurement helps in more precise comparison and descriptions.

As children develop in more meaningful comparisons of objects, they learn that exact units of measurement help in describing and comparing objects better, and they are consistent, unlike using hands to measure (Brownell, Chen, Ginet, & Hynes-Berry, 2013). Children can describe exactly how much bigger one object is than another, and they can also identify units that are inconsistent and thus not accurate to use as units of measurement.

Unit is used to measure objects and they include non-standard and standard units, so in non-standard units they are uniform and non-uniform, size of unit is about how the chosen unit affects the numerical value of measurement, iteration is the use of many copies of the same unit or if there is only one then the unit is used repeatedly, and lastly estimation using a referent is about estimation of a larger quantity using a known measurement (Novakowski, 2016). Units that use standard units follow metric systems like centimetres and metres, while uniform units are objects that are consistently sized, so non-uniform units are not.

Role of the teacher

As a teacher, small manipulatives that allow for patterns can be provided in the learning environment, as children form patterns such as ABAB, AAB, AAB, and so on. Teachers can also encourage children to use mathematical language, which involves concepts like measurement, size, counting, numbers, and shape during daily routine, ask them math questions, and talk about their thinking (Chaillé, 2021). The learning environment is crucial in helping children develop mathematical concepts.

Books can also be provided that teach these concepts: Numbers, spatial relations, patterns, measurement and data, while using strategies like following children’s interest, stimulating mathematical thinking, involving parents, and using books as resources in projects (Chaillé, 2021).

Therefore, pattern and measurement are covered in this article, and they are relevant skills for children to understand and develop further as they grow older.

References

Brownell, J., Chen, J.-Q., Ginet, L., & Hynes-Berry, M. (2013). Big Ideas of Early Mathematics. US: Pearson Education.

Chaillé, C. (2021). ECE314 Facilitating children's mathematical thinking (study guide). Singapore: Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Novakowski. (2015). Patterning.

Novakowski. (2016). Linear Measurement.

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