Mathematics is the study of patterns.  Studying pattern is an opportunity to observe, hypothesize, experiment, discover and create.  By understanding regularities based on the data we gather, we can predict what comes next, estimate if the same pattern will occur when variables are altered, begin to extend the pattern and do so much more.  By looking at patterns we can engage in practical activities that allow us to construct knowledge for ourselves.  Patterns give us all the ingredients we need for a meaningful, thought-provoking and mentally and physically engaging mathematics curriculum.  As children recognize and create patterns they begin to see and understand how things fit together and work.

The study of patterns is also a great way of integrating mathematics with many other disciplines within our wider curriculum, including music, visual art and craft, vocabulary building, creative writing, verbal communication, social studies, science and environmental studies, talent and technology.

Patterning is often categorized as “Algebra”.  Algebra is all about seeing relationships.  The word “Algebra” comes from the Arabic word al-jabr, meaning ‘reunion’, from a book written in 820 AD by the Islamic Persian Mathematician, Muhammad ibn Musa Al Khawarizm (also considered to be the “Father of Algebra”).  The Arabs have used patterns in education and aesthetics for thousands of years; you can see lovely Arabic patterns in mosques and on buildings here in Dubai.  Other nations have also developed unique cultural uses for patterns, including Native Americans, Aborigines and pretty much every other culture under the sun, too.

It is because patterning is such an important maths concept that we take such care to implement it properly in our curriculum.  If you are interested in patterning, do please ask further questions – either to the staff or to your child!

Click here to see more of the wonderful artwork the children have created while investigating the whole concept of patterns and how they pop up in so many ways in our daily lives...