Noah is in Reception and is learning English as an additional language (EAL). He is working below the expected level of development in mathematics.
In this blog, I’m going to explain how Maths Through Picture Books has been effective in supporting Noah’s mathematical thinking, language and understanding.
Maths Through Picture Books (MTPB) is a programme that involves training teaching assistants in Reception to use selected picture books, discussion prompts and small-group interactions to develop children’s early mathematical thinking. It targets children who are experiencing difficulties in learning maths, giving them a chance to catch up with their peers.
Why Noah needs an additional intervention
Noah is four years old and has a language delay. He finds it difficult to maintain attention. He is a chatty and observant child who enjoys conversing with adults and commenting on things he notices in his environment.
During the Maths Through Picture Books initial assessment, I asked Noah to give nine pennies to the teddy. He grabbed several handfuls of coins and placed them in front of the teddy. When I encouraged him to try again, he continued to put many coins down, not knowing to stop at nine.
This confirmed my understanding that Noah had not yet grasped basic counting skills and would benefit from Maths Through Picture Books.
Reading a picture book interactively in a small group is suitable for Noah. It is a familiar activity that he enjoys and there are very few distractions in the small group setting. Noah is confident in this environment, which also supports his language development.
In MTPB, children encounter number in a concrete way: the maths comes out of a familiar experience. This is what Noah needs to build his knowledge and confidence.
A vignette: interactive reading with Noah
The children sit down in a quiet space with Mimoza, our teaching assistant (TA). They all sit on the same level and Mimoza holds up the picture book, ‘One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller.’
Noah is paying attention and curious. Mimoza notices that he is focussed on the book and engaged. Here Mimoza is using the first strategy of the evidence-based ShREC approach: sharing attention (the Sh of ShREC).
As Mimoza shows the children the book cover, Noah immediately calls out ‘orange’ while pointing in the direction of the fox.
Mimoza responds (the R of ShREC) to Noah's observation by shifting her body language and allowing Noah to take a closer look at the illustrations.
Mimoza then extends (the E of ShREC) Noah’s language by commenting, ‘Yes, there’s one orange fox.’
As a child opens the book, Noah looks at the first page and says, ‘Lots of footprints and one fox’. He points to the numeral 1 and the illustration of the fox, saying, ‘One and one.’
Here Noah shows that he understands what number 1 represents and he can connect the numeral to the quantity.
As the story progresses, Mimoza encourages Noah to take the lead in counting the numbers in the pictures. He demonstrates accurate one-to-one correspondence up to five. He now corrects himself when he realises he has counted inaccurately.
When Noah's attention fluctuates during the reading, Mimoza is able to re-engage him by making eye contact or repeating one of the responses Noah made. Overall, he attends carefully to the illustrations and uses his fingers to represent quantities up to five.
Impact of the intervention
The programme has had a significant impact on Noah’s number recognition and understanding. He has developed his counting skills and an understanding of cardinality.
Importantly, Noah can use this in day-to-day activities. For example, he spontaneously counts the pieces of fruit (up to five) when we are having a snack.
Challenges of Maths Through Picture Books
Noah is an outgoing child, which makes it easy for him to engage and for educators to recognise his learning.
Engaging less vocal and more reserved children has been more challenging. However, we have noticed that these children often participate as ‘quiet observers’, showing their engagement and learning in more subtle ways. For example, they may discreetly represent numbers on their fingers and initiate mathematical play - these are new behaviours since taking part in the trial.
MTPB has taught us to recognise that children learn in different ways – some are more visible than others. Even when children contribute less vocally, they are developing their mathematical thinking. We see this in our one-to-one interactions with them, mathematical play and increased engagement during whole-class maths sessions.
Mimoza, our Teaching Assistant who implements the programme, comments,
‘I now feel much more confident and happy leading small groups. Whenever I pick up a book with the children they start to count and apply maths. I feel like I'm teaching with intention and that there is more purpose to my interactions. I apply the skills from the MTPB programme all the time.
It has been very helpful.’
Want to know more?
- EEF: Maths through picture books pilot: East London Research School
- Oxford MeasurEd: Pilot evaluation of Maths through picture books.