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Catherine Pearn

Selected Works

Mathematics teaching

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Education

Mathematical Thinking Of Preschool Children In Rural And Regional Australia : Research And Practice, Robert Hunting, Janette Bobis, Brian Doig, Judith Mousley, Lyn English, Joanne Mulligan, Marina Papic, Catherine Pearn, Bob Perry, Jill Robbins, Jenny Young-Loveridge Dec 2012

Mathematical Thinking Of Preschool Children In Rural And Regional Australia : Research And Practice, Robert Hunting, Janette Bobis, Brian Doig, Judith Mousley, Lyn English, Joanne Mulligan, Marina Papic, Catherine Pearn, Bob Perry, Jill Robbins, Jenny Young-Loveridge

Catherine Pearn

Results of a research project that investigated: early childhood educators' thoughts on young children's mathematical thinking and development; reviewed recent research literature on the mathematical learning and thinking of young children; and made this information accessible to early childhood educators at all levels. Sixty-four early childhood educators from regional and rural New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria were interviewed for the project. Questions focused on: children's mathematics learning; support for mathematics teaching; use of technology; attitudes to mathematics; and assessment and record keeping. [p.1]


Whole Number Knowledge And Number Lines Help To Develop Fraction Concepts, Catherine Pearn Dec 2006

Whole Number Knowledge And Number Lines Help To Develop Fraction Concepts, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Many researchers have noted that students' whole number knowledge can interfere with their efforts to learn fractions. In this paper the authors discuss a teaching experiment conducted with students in Years 5 and 6 from an eastern suburban school in Melbourne. The focus of the teaching experiment was to use number lines to highlight students' understanding of whole numbers then fractions. The study used a screening test and interview using number lines to probe students' understanding of fractions as numbers. By using whole numbers on number lines first, the interview questions clearly helped many students to connect whole number and …


Mathematics Recovery : Frameworks To Assist Students' Construction Of Arithmetical Knowledge, Catherine Pearn Dec 2004

Mathematics Recovery : Frameworks To Assist Students' Construction Of Arithmetical Knowledge, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Mathematics Recovery was the outcome of a three-year research and development project at Southern Cross University, conducted in 1992-5. The project received major funding from the Australian Research Council and major contributions in the form of teacher time, from regional government and Catholic school systems. Over the 3-year period, the project involved working in 18 schools with 20 teachers and approximately 200 participating first-grade students. MR can be regarded as consisting of two distinct but interrelated components. One component concerns an elaborated body of theory and practice for working with students, that is, teaching early number knowledge. The second component …


The Development Of Mathematical Strategies In The Early Years, Catherine Pearn Dec 2002

The Development Of Mathematical Strategies In The Early Years, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Current research has shown that children develop a repertoire of mathematical strategies by progressing though five 'counting stages'. These are: perceptual - students are limited to counting those items they can perceive; figurative - students count from one when solving addition problems with screened collections; initial number sequence - students can now count on to solve addition and missing add-end problems with screened collections; implicitly nested number sequence - students are able to focus on the collection of unit items as one thing, as well as the abstract unit items; explicitly nested number sequence - students are simultaneously aware of …


Fractions : Using The Measurement Model To Develop Understanding, Catherine Pearn Dec 2002

Fractions : Using The Measurement Model To Develop Understanding, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Several researchers have noted how children's whole number schemes can interfere with their efforts to learn fractions. An Australian study found that children who were successful with the solution of the rational number tasks exhibited greater whole number knowledge and more flexible solution strategies. Behr and Post (1988) indicated that children needed to be competent in the four operations of whole numbers, along with an understanding of measurement, to enable them to understand rational numbers. The workshop session described in this paper was a 'hands-on' session that focused on the use of paper folding, fraction walls and number lines to …


Assessing Rational Number Knowledge In The Middle Years Of Schooling, Catherine Pearn Dec 2002

Assessing Rational Number Knowledge In The Middle Years Of Schooling, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Success in Numeracy Education (SINE) is the major numeracy approach being implemented in Victorian Catholic schools. SINE is designed to assist teachers to identify the mathematical understanding of the students they teach and to develop activities to help all students to progress at their relative level of understanding. Two components of SINE have been piloted and implemented: SINE Prep to Year 4 and SINE Years 5 and 6. This paper focuses on work with fractions being undertaken as part of the pilot program for SINE Years 5-8. There has been considerable research into the difficulties experienced by students learning fractions …


Empowering Classroom Teachers For The 21st Century: Meeting The Challenge Of Advancing Children's Mathematical Development, Catherine Pearn Dec 1998

Empowering Classroom Teachers For The 21st Century: Meeting The Challenge Of Advancing Children's Mathematical Development, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

In this paper, the specific concerns for literacy and numeracy as we enter a new era are addressed through a discussion of an innovative mathematics early intervention program, which the author and classroom teachers have developed and applied. 'Mathematics Intervention' is an innovative program developed by three classroom teachers to identify, then assist, children in year 1 'at risk' of not coping with the current mathematics curriculum. The program incorporates assessment tools and learning activities based on recent research about children's early numerical learning. It develops the basic concepts of number upon which children build their understanding of mathematics. All …


Mathematics Intervention, Marguerite Merrifield, Catherine Pearn Dec 1998

Mathematics Intervention, Marguerite Merrifield, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

A Mathematics Intervention program has been established at Boroondara Park Primary School for children 'at risk' of not succeeding with Grade 1 mathematics. The program is based on current research that shows that children become numerate by progressing through five counting stages. The development and results of clinical interviews used for testing will be discussed along with strategies that have been used to assist children overcome common difficulties identified by the testing. The importance for classroom teachers to be able to identify each child's strategies and thus their counting stage will be stressed as a starting point for numeracy teaching …