SEAL /Numeracy

Catriona Gill

Acting HT Greengables Nursery

“We found that most children were developing their counting skills well through a range of learning

experiences. . . There is more to be done to ensure staff develop children’s skills and confidence in all

areas of numeracy and mathematics”

(Quality and Improvement in Scottish Education 2012-2016)

‘The role of the practitioner..[is]..of critical importance if young children are going to extend their thinking, widen their skills and consolidate their learning in play.’

Building the Ambition

Stages of Early Arithmetical Learning SEAL

SEAL is based on research about how children learn.

You don’t “do” SEAL

SEAL is about helping children to develop deep level understanding of number and number operations, using our knowledge of the progression of their learning.

Children develop their numeracy skills through real life experiences, routines and PLAY.

Building the Ambition

Experiences which…

Adults who…

An environment which…

What are the features of effective learning and teaching in mathematics?

From the early stages onwards, children and young people should experience success in mathematics and develop the confidence to take risks, ask questions and explore alternative solutions without fear of being wrong. They will enjoy exploring and applying mathematical concepts to understand and solve problems, explaining their thinking and presenting their solutions to others in a variety of ways.

CfE Mathematics: Principles and Practice

Developing:

number sense, especially understanding number symbols, eg ‘the fiveness’ of 5.

recognising numbers as dice and domino patterns (subitising)

comparing numbers like 5 and 7, saying which is more

predicting the result of adding or taking away one

developing an understanding of numbers as made up of other numbers (partitioning)

developing an understanding of number combinations

(Geary, 2011; Gifford, 2014).

What predicts success in mathematics?

Stages of Early Arithmetical Learning

The Teaching and Learning Cycle

Where are

they now?

Where do I want them

to be?How will I know when

they get there?

How will they get

there?

The Emergent Child

This child:

Attempts to count

May not understand all counting tasks (social counter)

May not know all the number words

May not be able to coordinate number words with items

May not have the organisational skills

The Emergent Child

Key Messages

Number Word Sequences

FNWS /BNWS

Starting and stopping at different numbers

Next number forwards and backwards

Number after and before

Numerals

Numeral Identification. Point to the number, can they say it?

Numeral Recognition. Say the number, can they find it?

Sequencing numerals forwards and backwards

Counting Visible Items

Counting a group/row, forwards and backwards.

Creating a collection of a given number.

Counting two groups/rows. How many altogether?

Can they count on?

Key Messages

Spatial Patterns

Subitising – seeing how many.

Dot patterns – dice, pairs and random arrays

Support learning with movement and sound

Finger Patterns 1-5

Sequential – fingers seen/unseen

Simultaneous – fingers seen/unseen

Double patterns

Keeping track of counting.

Temporal Patterns and Sequences

Copying and counting movements.

Copying and counting rhythmic patterns.

Copying and counting sequences and sounds.

A rich context for learning

Young children are active social learners. From birth they have an awesome capacity to make sense of the world (their surroundings), to explore, examine and understand it.

They learn best in situations which are meaningful and make sense to them.

These situations are play, being involved in real experiences and everyday routines