MFP1501
MATHEMATICS
FOR
FOUNDATION PHASE TEACHERS
ASSIGNMENT 2 SOLUTIONS
SEMESTER 1, 2022
, QUESTION 1
Identify the five principles required for counting, then explain the meaning of each.
Gelman and Gallistel (1978) outline five principles for counting that require learners to
coordinate their knowledge across three key ideas (number-word sequence, cardinality, and
one-to-one correspondence) and to generalise them across different counting situations.
These are:
• Stable order principle – Consistently use the number words in the same order.
• One-to-one principle – Count every item in a set only once, using only one number
word.
• Cardinal principle – Understand that the last number word used represents the
cardinality of the set.
• Abstraction principle – Recognise that any collection of like or unlike items can be
counted as a set.
• Order irrelevance principle – Understand that the result is the same, no matter the
order in which the objects are counted
Outline the 3 key ideas embedded within the principles required for counting.
Gelman and Gallistel (1978) outline five principles for counting that require learners to
coordinate their knowledge across three key ideas (number-word sequence, cardinality, and one-
to-one correspondence) and to generalise them across different counting situations.
Choose the correct word/term best explaining the ordinal and cardinal numbers.
There are 7 cars under the shade (cardinal/ordinal)
Ordinality – counting numbers as a list
The red car is in the 3rd parking lot (cardinal/ordinal)
Cardinality – counting numbers as associated with quantity for describing set size
MATHEMATICS
FOR
FOUNDATION PHASE TEACHERS
ASSIGNMENT 2 SOLUTIONS
SEMESTER 1, 2022
, QUESTION 1
Identify the five principles required for counting, then explain the meaning of each.
Gelman and Gallistel (1978) outline five principles for counting that require learners to
coordinate their knowledge across three key ideas (number-word sequence, cardinality, and
one-to-one correspondence) and to generalise them across different counting situations.
These are:
• Stable order principle – Consistently use the number words in the same order.
• One-to-one principle – Count every item in a set only once, using only one number
word.
• Cardinal principle – Understand that the last number word used represents the
cardinality of the set.
• Abstraction principle – Recognise that any collection of like or unlike items can be
counted as a set.
• Order irrelevance principle – Understand that the result is the same, no matter the
order in which the objects are counted
Outline the 3 key ideas embedded within the principles required for counting.
Gelman and Gallistel (1978) outline five principles for counting that require learners to
coordinate their knowledge across three key ideas (number-word sequence, cardinality, and one-
to-one correspondence) and to generalise them across different counting situations.
Choose the correct word/term best explaining the ordinal and cardinal numbers.
There are 7 cars under the shade (cardinal/ordinal)
Ordinality – counting numbers as a list
The red car is in the 3rd parking lot (cardinal/ordinal)
Cardinality – counting numbers as associated with quantity for describing set size
