what is appropriate mathematics education for four-year-olds?

Abstract

This study explored pre-kindergarten teachers' beliefs about the appropriateness of early mathematics education. Thirty pre-kindergarten teachers of four-year-olds, half working with low-SES children at publicly funded pre-kindergartens and the other half with middle-SES children at private pre-kindergartens, were interviewed concerning written vignettes describing two fictitious pre-kindergarten teachers' contrasting pedagogies concerning key issues in teaching mathematics to young children. The low-SES publicly funded pre-kindergarten teachers tended to support a strong focus on goal-based mathematics teaching at pre-kindergarten and at home to get children ready for kindergarten. The middle-SES private pre-kindergarten teachers tended to endorse flexible mathematics education relying on a child-centered curriculum and child-initiated learning and to oppose the instructional use of computers. Both groups, however, were similarly likely to mention that with increased academic demands, pre-kindergarten teachers needed to provide mathematics education, especially in simple arithmetic, albeit in a fun manner, without triggering stress or anxiety. These findings have significant implications for professional development.

FACILITATING STUDENTS’ GEOMETRIC THINKING THROUGH VAN HIELE’S PHASE-BASED LEARNING USING TANGRAM

“…For example, students' were puzzled by the word 'right angle' as the angle opens to the right, therefore, there is a 'left angle' if it is opened to the left (Mack, 2007). Lee and Ginsburg (2009) also found that the usage of language sometimes create misconception in learning among young students. For example, they found that misconception on terminology used for naming numbers occur in English medium classrooms, but not in a Korean medium classroom.…”

“…Some misconceptions in learning geometry could also be due to terminology and language (Lee and Ginsburg, 2009;Keuroghlian, 2013). For example, students' were puzzled by the word 'right angle' as the angle opens to the right, therefore, there is a 'left angle' if it is opened to the left (Mack, 2007).…”

Promoting Children's Communication: A Kindergarten Teacher's Conception and Practice of Effective Mathematics Instruction

“…This case study shows how a public kindergarten teacher actively implements effective mathematics instruction to encourage children's communication within the complexity of the public school system. Her role as an active constructor in the dynamic process of teaching may be necessary for current education reforms, in which prekindergartens continue to become part of the public elementary schools (Lee & Ginsburg, 2007) and recommended standards and curriculum frameworks have been developed for early childhood education programs for 3-to 6-year-old children (e.g., NAEYC & NCTM, 2002). As Clark and Peterson (1986) indicated, the recommended new practices and mandatory standards affect teachers' classroom practices differently, depending on the lenses of teachers' beliefs and experiences in teaching.…”

Pakistani Teachers’ Perceptions of Kindergarten Children’s Learning: An Exploration of Understanding and Practice

“…Early childhood teachers' beliefs have been consistently found to provide an understanding of their teaching practice (Lara-Cinisomo, Fuligni, Daugherty, Howes, & Karoly, 2009;Vartuli, 1999), including in relation to literacy (Foote, Smith & Ellis, 2004;McLachlan-Smith & St. George, 2000;Miller & Paige-Smith, 2004); numeracy (Lee & Ginsburg, 2007); play (Howard, 2010;Logue & Harvey, 2009); developmentally appropriate practice (Hedge & Cassidy, 2009); teacher-child interactions (Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2011); children's social competence (Han, 2009); and developmental skills and abilities (Kowalski, Pretti-Frontczak, & Johnson, 2009). Early childhood teachers' perceptions about how children learn, irrespective of whether they are derived from child development theorists or personal experience, influence how they work with young children.…”