Lekbasert læring og undervisning av matematikk på 2. og 3.trinn

Abstract

This study is a qualitative case study which examines 1) two teachers’ perceptions of play, the role of play, and play-based mathematics teaching, and 2) how they facilitate play-based learning of mathematics in 2nd and 3rd grade.The background for this study is that play has a more prominent role in LK20, and I have chosen teachers that have experience with play-based mathematics teaching as my informants. The methods used in this study are individual interviews and then observations of the teachers with their students. The purpose of the interviews was to answer the first research question. The observations were meant to give insight into how the teachers carried out play-based mathematics teaching. Transcripts of the interviews and the video and sound recordings provide the empirical data for this study. The study is based on a socio-cultural perspective on learning and development. The findings are based on a thematic analysis of the interviews and analyzes of the observations. The results of the study show that teachers’ perceptions of play have to do with the students’ experiences in play. The analysis of the interviews shows that the teachers’ perceptions of the role of play is that: 1) play provides socioemotional benefits for students, 2) all students can participate in the mathematics lessons, and 3) play “hides” the mathematics. The observations made in this study show that the teachers give the students varying degrees of freedom, but the playful activities seem to be experienced as play by the students. The findings of this study are particularly relevant for teachers that want to facilitate play-based learning in their own mathematics teaching .Key words: play, play-based teaching and learning, mathematics, early childhood education.