Time is an essential construct for understanding our everyday lives and the wider world; however, it is commonly seen as a difficult topic by teachers and children throughout primary school. There is limited research into children's learning about time, and in particular, concerning young children's understandings of clocks. This study examines…

This paper contributes to the symposium, "Research methods involving children's drawings in mathematical contexts" by exploring the "drawing-telling" approach to researching with young children. "Drawing-telling" is a methodological approach that encourages young children to represent their experiences and…

As described in the symposium overview, this paper is built on two researchers' interests and research concerning mathematics learning and teaching at the time of children's transition to primary school, including prior-to-school and the first years of school. Our previous research has shown that young children are aware of their own mathematical…

In this article Amy MacDonald asks us to reconsider the starting point for teaching measurement concepts. We are sure readers will enjoy looking at the drawings and reading of the implications for teachers of young children. We are certain that if you teach young children you will want to try the "Draw yourself measuring task".

When conducting research with young children it is important to consider not only the data which have been produced as a result of the research, but also the research process itself. This article presents a parallel analysis of data which has been articulated elsewhere from a three-year study of children's understandings about measurement. This…

In this article, the author describes an open-ended drawing task that was used to discover young children's experiences with, and understandings of, the concept of mass. Mass is defined as the amount of matter in an object, and, like time, it cannot be seen (NSW Department of Education and Training Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate…

When children start school, they bring with them a variety of background skills and informal knowledge that can enrich their learning of new concepts and ideas. A major tenet of many learning theories is that the more children are able to connect a new concept with their existing knowledge and understandings, the more they feel confident and able…

All too frequently the process of starting school is viewed through the eyes of teachers and parents alone. What is often overlooked is that the children, who live this experience, and their interpretation of events, may be vastly different from that of their parents and teachers. The use of drawings in conjunction with oral retellings is an…