The case for a sub-element 'measuring matter' within the Australian national numeracy learning progression
Australia has a National Numeracy Learning Progression (NNLP) that is strongly aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. This article examines how a sub-element within this progression could be impacting students' learning of Science. This sub-element is firmly based on Mathematics e...
Saved in:
Published in | The Australian journal of education Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 280 - 298 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Camberwell, Vic
SAGE Publications
01.11.2021
Sage Publications Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Australia has a National Numeracy Learning Progression (NNLP) that is strongly aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. This article examines how a sub-element within this progression could be impacting students' learning of Science. This sub-element is firmly based on Mathematics education research as to how students build their understanding of geometric measurement (the structure of length, area and volume). Mathematics educators subsequently researched children's measurement ofmass and included it within the same sub-element of the NNLP. The contexts in which mass and volume are measured in Mathematics are different to those used in teaching Science. This article presents two studies that used variation theory and task-based interviews of children in Years 5 and 6, to explore their thinking about mass and volume in a Science context. The findings suggest that mathematical constructs in geometric measurement could be constraining the development of scientific ideas about matter. This research has implications for furthering the development of the NNLP to encompass scientific aspects of measuring matter. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | Australian Journal of Education, Vol. 65, No. 3, Nov 2021, [280]-298 Informit, Melbourne (Vic) |
ISSN: | 0004-9441 2050-5884 |
DOI: | 10.1177/00049441211041855 |