Name: Mohd Norhaffizie Bin Durahim Subject: MTE 3101 Date received: 21.01.2010 Date/ Time Done:23.01.2010/10.00 am-11.

30 am Tutorial 2A 1) State in yours words what is the number system is. Do you think that it is important? Why? 2) Describe why classification is important pre-number skills?

Answer: (1) A number system is a way of counting things. It's a way of identifying the quantity of something. In other words, number system also describe as the set of symbols used to express quantities as the basis for counting, determining order, comparing amounts, performing calculations, and representing value. It is the set of characters and mathematical rules that are used to represent a number. Examples include the Arabic, Babylonian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Mayan, and Roman number systems. The ISBN and Dewey Decimal System are examples of number systems used in libraries. Social Security even has a number system. The mobile phone numbers also an example of number systems. Therefore, number system bring along a lot of benefit to us.

Answer: (2) Early development of number concepts is critical in developing positive attitudes about mathematics at an early age. Special methods and activities will assist children to develop early numeracy skills. These methods will need to include the use of motivating and engaging concrete materials that children can manipulate. Young children need to experience a lot of 'doing' and 'saying' before written numerals will make sense to them.

As early as 2 years of age, many children will parrot the words 'one', 'two', 'three', 'four', 'five' etc. However, rarely do they understand that the number refers to an item or a set of items. At this stage, children do not have number conservation' or number correspondence'. Engaging children with a variety of measurement concepts is a great beginning. For instance, children enjoy telling us that they are 'bigger' than their sister or brother or 'taller' than the lamp or that they are 'higher' than the dishwasher. Young children will also think that they have 'more' in their cup simply because their cup is taller. This type of language needs to be promoted and children need parental guidance to help with the misconceptions of these concepts through experimentation. The bathtub is a great starting point, using a variety of plastic cylinders/cups and containers. At this age, perception is the child's guide, they do not have any other strategies to guide them in determining which has more or less, is heavier or lighter etc. A parent or day care provider can provide great learning experiences to assist young childrens' misconceptions through play. Classification is a pre-number concept that children need lots of experimentation and communication with. We classify on a regular basis without even considering what we're actually doing. We look in indexes that are alphabetized or numerically arranged, we purchase groceries in areas of food groups, we classify to sort laundry, we sort our silverware before putting it away. Children can benefit from a variety of classification activities which will also support early numeracy concepts.

References: 1) Without author, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_system, accessed by 23.01.2010/ 10.10 am. 2) Without author, http://42explore.com/number.htm., accessed by 23.01.2010/10.13 am. 3) Without author, http://math.about.com/od/reference/a/preschool.htm, accessed by 23.01.2010/10.50 am. 4) Gary L. Musser, William F. Burger, Blake E. Peterson (2006). Mathematics For Elementary Teacher, United States: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.