A Community Wide Approach to Promoting Early Numeracy Docklands Early Numeracy Project

A Community Wide Approach to Promoting Early Numeracy

Docklands Early Numeracy ProjectDr. Josephine Bleach and Catriona Flood

Docklands Early Numeracy Project Objectives

• To improve the educational outcomes for children in the Docklands in numeracy

• To increase parental involvement in their children’s development, learning and education by providing a variety of on-going supports for parents of young children.

• To support early childhood care and education workforce in implementing Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta, The Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

• To ensure continuity and progression in Mathematical learning for children moving from home to early years settings to the local schools

Programme Activities• Working Group meeting (start and end of each term- teachers and ECCE practitioners come

together and plan the programme, some ECCE Practitioners are also local parents)• Numeracy training for ECCE Practitioners- each term• Numeracy talks for Parents- each term• Early Numeracy Activity Week (Curriculum Priorities)- each term

– Numeracy based activities in ECCE settings and infant classes in schools– Home based early numeracy activities go home with all children in Docklands (0-6 years old)

• Consortium meetings (start and end of year) for ECCE Managers and School Principals

*(in each setting during Numeracy Week)

NEYAI Síolta/Aistear Workshops for Practitioners

(CPD)

Working Group

Meeting

Numeracy talks for Parents

Curriculum Priority

(Numeracy Week)

Curriculum Priority Events *

Storytelling Sessions

Positional Language November 2011- Parent

Symbols in the Environment May 2014- Parents

Shape and Space March 2012- ECCE Practitioners

Money February 2014-Teachers

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Number. Measures Shape MathsSkills

MentalMaths

Total Std

Standard Scores For NEYAI Centres By Category Post Vs Pre Test

Pre Test

Post Test

The numeracy concepts of children in the Docklands have improved

Number Measures Shape Maths Skills Mental Maths Total Std0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Standard Scores For NEYAI Vs Non NEYAI Centres

Summary Number Measures Shape Maths Skills Mental Maths Total Std

NEYAI Centres (6 months younger) 67% 79% 84% 83% 20% 73%

Non NEYAI Centres 86% 82% 90% 85% 40% 84%

Delta 19% 3% 6% 2% 20% 11%

Numeracy concepts of children in the Docklands appear to be on a par with South Dublin

Successes ChallengesRelationships with stakeholders- trust and openness

Fine-tuning communication with ECCE services

Home and Setting element working well Time- meetings, planning and adaptation

Working Group- Attendance, enthusiasm & creativity of Practitioners at ground level- ECCE & Primary

Collecting feedback from parents- facing these challenges by- feedback, flexibility, leading to improvement, strength

Working group nominee and Consortium support

No final answers – answers transform into new questions (Mc Niff 2010)

Awareness of Early Numeracy concepts raised

Adapting to the demands of the external evaluation

Conclusions/ Recommendations• Continuous process of community action research.• Genuine community involvement in decision process is crucial

(through Working Group and Consortium Meetings).• Multiple methods for parents to engage with (workshops,

activity cards, and Curriculum Priority events in schools and ECCE Settings).

• Community wide focus on numeracy fosters multi-sectoral working, involvement of parents, curriculum planning and better numeracy outcomes for children.

Contact Details:Dr. Josephine [email protected]

Catriona FloodProject [email protected]