Above, below, or equal? Exploring teachers’ pedagogical positioning in a playworld context to teach mathematical concepts to preschool children

Abstract

This research forms part of a larger study to investigate how early childhood teachers can use “Mathematical Playworld” to shift their pedagogical positions to improve children's mathematical learning. We analysed video-recordings of an imaginative play scenario involving two teachers and 11 children in an early learning centre. We found that early childhood teachers could use a Mathematical Playworld model to allow them inside children's play and align their learning intentions with children's imaginative play actions. This study frames how early childhood teachers can create the conditions for intentional mathematical teaching opportunities within play-based contexts by dynamically shifting their pedagogical positions.