This document discusses how early childhood educators can facilitate mathematics and science learning through intentional classroom design. It provides several examples from a Grade 1 classroom of how everyday materials, activities, and spaces like the classroom door picture, timetable, lunch menu, nature area, and map can engage children in math and science concepts through exploration, inquiry, and discussion. The document emphasizes how the classroom environment should spark children's curiosity, support problem-solving, and integrate these subjects across other areas like language arts and music to develop skills like critical thinking.

1. Mathematics and Science in Early
Childhood Education
By Idalah Reece

2. Grade 1 Learning Environment
• The classroom environment is more than just
the physical space; it is the entire setting for
learning. It encompasses the relationships
between and among students and teachers, as
well as the expectations and norms for
learning and behaviour. Positive classroom
environments are associated with a range of
important outcomes for students.

3. Math science and motivation
• Motivation is related to later mathematics
achievement and attitude (Reynolds & Walberg,
1992).
• Changing the classroom environment to improve
students’ perceptions improves achievement as
well as outcomes such as interest and motivation
(Waxman & Huang, 1996). For example,
students’ positive perceptions of the classroom
environment contribute to developing a favorable
attitude toward mathematics (Reynolds &
Walberg, 1992)

4. Classroom environment
• The influence of the classroom environment on
students’ motivation and enthusiasm is especially
important as students are asked to develop deep
understanding of challenging mathematics and
science topics. One of the goals of the mathematics
and science standards is to encourage students to have
favorable attitudes toward mathematics and science,
in part because of the effects on students’ learning.
Positive emotions and intrinsic motivation are
essential for success in problem solving, creativity,
and conceptual understanding (Schiefele &
Csikszentmihalyi, 1995).

5. Welcome to 1R

6. How can math and science be
facilitated by the picture on the door?
• Math is a way of viewing the world and the young
child experiences in it.
• Science is the exploration, observation,
discoveries and reflection of the child’s
understanding of his environment.
• The picture on the door enhances the children’s
courisity. They ask about the colour of the
alligator, his habitat, how sharp are his teeth,
where are his other feet, what type of tree it is?
And they are always feeling the texture.

7. Time table

8. The time table
• It provides the students with a routine.
• They are able to sequence the events of the
day.
• Is that not math and science

9. Lunch price list
The price list facilitates the learning of math and science as they
observe the list and make association with the value of their money
and what they can afford to buy, through number operations, creating
a weekly lunch pattern Memorize words and how money is written. It
also facilitates reading through mathematical thinking

10. Math and science activites
• Some science practices are asking questions
defining problems, developing models, plan
and carry out investigations analyze and
interpret data construct explanations, design
solutions, engage in argument from evidence,
obtain evaluate and communicate
information.

11. Some of our work

12. We can observe our mistakes
• When children see their work beside others
they sometimes compare, enhances their
sense of pride and encourages motivation.
• Seeing their work along side others help
children to make critical decisions regarding
their work.
• Critical thinking is science. This sometimes
help children to self actualize thus solving the
problem of his informal learning.

13. Nature area

14. The cycle of learning
Teachers create the environment to facilitate
• Awareness
• Exploration
• Inquiry
• Utilization
• The nature area is equipped with a feely box of
things in nature, an aquarium with fish, coloured
rice with questions, peas waiting to grow, chicky
to enhance texture, coloured water and empty
containers which are usually on the go!

15. Math and science in Language Arts

16. Integrating math into Language Arts
• Children's books are being used more frequently to teach
mathematics. With literature, children are able to
experience the wonder of mathematics in the same way
they appreciate the wonders of a great story.
Children's literature is an effective tool for mathematics
instruction because it incorporates stories into the teaching
and learning of mathematics
• introduces math concepts and contexts in a motivating
manner
• acts as a source for generating problems and building
problem solving skills
• helps build a conceptual understanding of math skills
through illustrations.

17. Develop new discoveries through
Reading

18. Who are we?

19. Exploring the world
• The map teaches distance
• Helps with the discoveries of new countries
• Match flags to countries
• Recognize the difference in the Jamaican flag
between other countries and also the
commonalities
• Have meaningful discussion of the size of
Jamaica to other larger unknown countries.

20. • Each class has the access of one laptop and a
pair of speakers, however, sometimes the lap
top and the white board are too much work
for preparation. However if we are not able to
manage we can take the children to the
computer room.They also have a music
teacher so on Mondays they go to music.
However sinc e is a great subject with which
language may be integrated.

21. Recommendations
• The floor can be utilize more to enhance
student math and science skill, just using it for
counting and hopscotch is insufficient.
• It may be used when teaching measurement.
It could be used as a non standard measuring
instrument, the pattern could be recreated,
find several pattern in them.
• More information on floor may be added to
the lesson by asking critical questions

22. • Children may be guided to ask and answer
questions in relation to the world and the
experiences they have with travel and travel.
•

23. conclusion
• Some mathematical concepts are probability,
algebra, geometry, measurement, number
sense and statistics.
• The young child has been manipulative. Some
science are
• Math and science are easy blend to integrate
into any subject, because as the baby is born
he begins to use and explore is mathematical
and science abilities.