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Math in Early Childhood

by Francis Wardle
March/April 2007
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/math-in-early-childhood/5017455/

In my classes at Red Rocks Community College I always ask my students if they enjoy math. In my early childhood classes over 95% of the students say they dislike math; in my child

• Almost everything has a biological component (many even argue that criminal behavior and aggressive tendencies are biologically based); and

• Almost everything can be improved by maximizing the environment (Berger, 2006; Berk, 2006).
The latter is where we should concentrate. How can we use the environment to maximize the mathematical abilities of all of our students? This includes increasing parental expectations of the impact of effort on math ability, as opposed to relying solely on innate ability (Stevenson, Lee, & Stigler, 1986). Here are a few suggestions. None of them, unfortunately, are easy!

Eliminate content standards in early childhood programs

Studies show that children who play with unit blocks in early childhood do better in algebra in middle school. But it’s important to note that the outcome of playing in the block area is not demonstrated until middle school! Math standards during the early years will automatically focus on low level, rote skills: memorization, repetition, and adult views of math knowledge. What makes this most destructive is ...

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