Mathematical meaning making in children’s play? : verbal and non-verbal forms of expressions

摘要

I analyze an episode from field work in a multilingual day-care centre in Oslo. I examine verbal andnon-verbal expressions. The children are 5 years old, and the mathematics is about classification. The childrenare creating structure and are seeking meaning. This is a key part of their play. My findings indicate that mathematicalorder and structure become conscious experiences to the children. I argue that we cannot know about thechildren’s mathematical and communicative competence without knowing the physical context, the play in thesandpit, and the friendship between the boys.