Area : the big cover-up

The research problem reported in this thesis is an investigation of the teaching and learning of area measurement in the early years of school. Research indicates that children confuse the measurement of area and perimeter and also the use of linear and two-dimensional units of measure. The first phase of the study investigated the knowledge and skills which underpin an understanding of the L x B formula for calculating rectangular area. Those factors were used to plan a teaching program of four lessons for Year 1 and Year 2 children, focusing on: establishing the attribute of area; making, describing and drawing the spatial structure of arrays of repeated informal units to measure areas; and methods of counting to determine the total number of units. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by implementing the lessons in four classes. Lessons planned from the then current syllabus were implemented in another four classes. Comparison of student learning outcomes from all classes indicated that the research lessons were more effective in assisting children to develop an understanding of a grid pattern or array of repeated informal units. The second phase of this study described the researcher’s investigation, design and trial of teacher professional learning strategies which would assist teachers to adopt successful methods of teaching young children to measure area. Seventeen volunteer teachers in seven school teams participated in one of three models of professional learning, based on varying levels of consultancy support. The models were based on the provision of lesson notes and teaching materials, facilitation of team meetings to discuss the implementation, and the provision of additional time to interview individual children following each lesson. Participation in the project assisted all of the participating teachers to develop their content knowledge and to modify their teacher-centred teaching practices. The key strategies and factors which contributed to this success included ongoing school based professional dialogue and support, the provision of a teaching program which emphasised students’ conceptual development within a sequence of activities, the role played by teacher leaders within each team, opportunities to develop questioning techniques and the motivation and disposition of the participating teachers.ABSTRAC