We have a responsibility to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all children and aim to give every pupil the opportunity to experience success in learning and to achieve as high a standard as possible.
The Northern Ireland Curriculum sets out the minimum requirement that should be taught at each key stage. This framework allows teachers to teach the knowledge, skills and understanding in ways that suit individual pupils’ ability. Teachers are aware that pupils have different experiences, interests and strengths, which influence the way in which they learn. Approaches to learning and teaching provide suitably challenging opportunities for all pupils to take part in lessons fully and effectively and allow all pupils to achieve.
Mathematics and Numeracy - Foundation Stage
Children acquire early mathematical concepts through activities that involve sorting, matching, comparing, classifying, and making patterns and sequences in a variety of contexts. These activities involve children playing, exploring and investigating, doing and observing, talking and listening, and asking and answering questions.
As the development of mathematical language is of fundamental importance, talking about work has a high priority in the early years. Through engaging in a wide variety of activities, children understand mathematical language and then begin to use the language to talk about their work. Children begin to develop their skills in mental mathematics during counting activities, by playing games and through daily classroom routines. They begin to estimate and make simple predictions in all areas of mathematics. Teachers observe children’s development and use the information gathered to plan future learning experiences.
Mathematical activities are presented through contexts that have a real meaning for children and provide opportunities for them to investigate their ideas. Children have opportunities to develop their understanding through guided mathematical activities, including open-ended tasks, as well as activities in other Areas of Learning, their everyday routines and experiences of the classroom, their home and the world around them.
They develop much of their early mathematical understanding during play, where the activities provided offer opportunities for them to estimate size, weight, capacity, length and number, and also allows them to explore ideas related to number, shape, pattern, size, order, and relationships. They have opportunities to identify and use numbers they meet in everyday life and in counting games, songs, rhymes and stories.
For more information on Mathematics and Numeracy at the Foundation Stage follow the link below
http://ccea.org.uk/curriculum/foundation_stage/areas_learning/mathematics_and_numeracy
Mathematics and Numeracy - Key Stage One and Two
Numeracy is the development and application of mathematics across the curriculum and in real-life situations. Skills in numeracy help children to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.
Throughout primary school, children engage in a wide range of purposeful activities which involve them in different modes of mathematical learning, including playing, exploring and investigating, doing and observing, talking and listening, asking questions, reflecting, drafting, reading and recording.
Mathematical ideas are introduced to children in meaningful contexts. Teachers create a well-resourced and stimulating environment where children learn through taking part in oral work and a wide range of practical activities, including games, to develop and consolidate their learning. Activities are balanced between tasks which develop knowledge, skills and understanding, and those which develop the ability to apply mathematical learning and solve problems. Children are encouraged to use their knowledge of mathematical language to talk about their work and explain their findings. Teachers encourage children to persevere with tasks, so gaining confidence in what they can do and developing a positive attitude towards mathematics.
For more information on Mathematics and Numeracy at Foundation Stage follow the link below
http://ccea.org.uk/curriculum/key_stage_1_2/areas_learning/mathematics_and_numeracy
