We provide pupils with the foundation for understanding the world and the ability to reason, and is essential to everyday life. This is by developing ways of exploring, investigating and understanding the world. At the earliest stages of development where thinking centres around concrete situations, pupils strive to make sense of experiences and sensations that involve changes in pattern quantity, space and time. All matters relating to learning must also be related to cognition, to the degree of understanding the learner holds. Cognition deals with the ways in which we gain information about the world around us, the conversion of this information into forms of knowledge our brains can deal with, the organisation of this knowledge and its use in direction and informing our behaviour. Learning involves relatively permeant changes in behaviour which come about as a result of experience (Barber & Goldbart, 1998). Cognition at Ivy House covers areas such as attention, perception, pattern, recognition, learning, memory, concept formation, thinking, language and intelligence.
In order to develop effective thinkers at Ivy House School, we encourage the development of basic communication skills such as
- Become aware of events and actions to recognise changes in pattern, quantity and space.
- Use their developing awareness to anticipate and predict changes.
- Use their awareness and developing understanding of pattern, shape, and space to develop problem solving skills.
- Use cognitive skills and understanding, which allows them to visualise, compare and estimate.
Mathematics is a holistic concept taught through all areas. Mathematical literacy is defined as an individual’s capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well founded judgements and to use and engage with mathematical in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen (OECD, 2006). At Ivy House there is a focus on functional use in real world situations, pupils are encouraged to apply maths in context and maximising independence is always the long-term aim.
Intent
- To become aware of events and actions and to recognise changes in pattern, quantity and space.
- To develop an awareness to anticipate and predict change.
- To use awareness, develop understanding of pattern, shape and space to develop problem solving skills.
- Use cognitive skills and understanding which allows them to visualise, compare and estimate.
- To become confident and fluent in the language of and some fundamental concepts and skills of early mathematics
- To use early concepts to solve simple problems
- To transfer these skills and concepts across learning areas