ABSTRACT
This chapter brings together the many aspects of how children learn and develop mathematical mastery, through analysing their learning stories, looking at wider reading and research as well as child development theory. It looks particularly at mastery orientation an all-encompassing term from Dweck's extensive work on mindsets, which she directly connects to how children use problem-solving strategies when faced with difficulties or challenges. Evidence from the HighScope Perry Preschool longitudinal study, a well-known and successful early intervention programme in the United States, showed that: Children with high aspirations, independence and who experience an early education curriculum that encourages a mastery orientation are significantly more effective learners and achievers in the long term. Observing children’s development through the characteristics of effective learning gives us a good indication of the depth of their learning and understanding as well as their mastery orientation.
