Cognitive Foundations For Improving Mathematical Learning

Cognitive Foundations for Improving Mathematical Learning, Volume 5, the latest release in the Mathematical Cognition and Learning series, focuses on informal learning environments and other parental influences on numerical cognitive development and formal instructional interventions for improving mathematics learning and performance. Chapters cover the use of numerical play and games for improving foundational number knowledge, school math performance, the link between early math abilities and the approximate number system, and how families can help improve the early development of math skills. In addition, the book examines learning trajectories in early mathematics, the role of mathematical language in acquiring numeracy skills, evidence-based assessments of early math skills, approaches for intensifying early mathematics interventions, the use of analogies in mathematics instruction, schema-based diagrams for teaching ratios and proportions, the role of cognitive processes in treating mathematical learning difficulties, and more. Identifies the relative influence of school and family on math learning Discusses the efficacy of numerical play for improvement in math Features learning trajectories in math Examines the role of math language in numeracy skills Includes assessments of math skills Explores the role of cognition in treating math-based learning difficulties

Development of Mathematical Cognition: Neural Substrates and Genetic Influences reviews advances in extant imaging modalities and the application of brain stimulation techniques for improving mathematical learning. It goes on to explore the role genetics and environmental influences have in the development of math abilities and disabilities. Focusing on the neural substrates and genetic factors associated with both the typical and atypical development of mathematical thinking and learning, this second volume in the Mathematical Cognition and Learning series integrates the latest in innovative measures and methodological advances from the top researchers in the field. Provides details about new progress made in the study of neural correlates of numerical and arithmetic cognition Addresses recent work in quantitative and molecular genetics Works to improve instruction in numerical, arithmetical, and algebraic thinking and learning Informs policy to help increase the level of mathematical proficiency among the general public

This book deals addresses how the development of the human capacity for mathematical cognition occurs through educational experience. Chapters include: (1) "The Development of Math Competence in the Preschool and Early School Years: Cognitive Foundations and Instructional Strategies " (Sharon Griffin); (2) "Perspectives on Mathematics Strategy Development" (Martha Carr and Hillary Hettinger); (3) "Mathematical Problem Solving" (Richard E. Mayer); (4) "Learning Disabilities in Basic Mathematics: Deficits in Memory and Cognition" (David C. Geary and Mary K. Hoard); (5) "Relationships among Basic Computational Automaticity, Working Memory and Complex Mathematical Problem Solving: What We Know and What We Need to Know" (Loel T. Tronsky and James M. Royer); (6) "Mathematics Instruction: Cognitive, Affective and Existential Perspectives" (Allan Feldman); (7) "A Brief History of American K-12 Mathematics Education in the 20th Century" (David Klein); and (8) "Assessment in Mathematics: A Developmental Approach" (John Pegg). (Author/KHR).

Early childhood mathematics is vitally important for young children's present and future educational success. Research demonstrates that virtually all young children have the capability to learn and become competent in mathematics. Furthermore, young children enjoy their early informal experiences with mathematics. Unfortunately, many children's potential in mathematics is not fully realized, especially those children who are economically disadvantaged. This is due, in part, to a lack of opportunities to learn mathematics in early childhood settings or through everyday experiences in the home and in their communities. Improvements in early childhood mathematics education can provide young children with the foundation for school success. Relying on a comprehensive review of the research, Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood lays out the critical areas that should be the focus of young children's early mathematics education, explores the extent to which they are currently being incorporated in early childhood settings, and identifies the changes needed to improve the quality of mathematics experiences for young children. This book serves as a call to action to improve the state of early childhood mathematics. It will be especially useful for policy makers and practitioners-those who work directly with children and their families in shaping the policies that affect the education of young children.

This book focuses on elementary and middle school children’s understanding of mathematics as well as the cognitive aspects involved in the development of mathematical knowledge, skills, and understanding. Children’s success in and understanding of mathematics stem from factors beyond the mathematics curriculum. Researchers are increasingly becoming aware of the necessity to consider a complex set of variables when accounting for large individual differences in mathematics achievement. These chapters contribute to how both researchers and educators can consider the multidimensionality of skills involved in developing mathematical knowledge in the middle school years as well as to how this knowledge can be used to enhance practices in the mathematics classroom. Topics include the cognitive and spatial skills involved in mathematics knowledge, the role of motivation in mathematics learning, the neurological processes and development of children’s mathematics skills, the development of understanding of arithmetic and fraction concepts, the factors relating to children’s word problem success, and techniques to promote mathematics understanding. This book and its companion, Mathematical Teaching and Learning, take an interdisciplinary perspective to mathematical learning and development in the elementary and middle school years. The authors and perspectives in this book draw from education, neuroscience, developmental psychology, and cognitive psychology. The book will be relevant to scholars/educators in the field of mathematics education and also those in childhood development and cognition. Each chapter also includes practical tips and implications for parents as well as for educators and researchers.

This book adopts an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the development of mathematical reasoning in both children and adults and to show how understanding the learner’s cognitive processes can help teachers develop better strategies to teach mathematics. This contributed volume departs from the interdisciplinary field of psychology of mathematics education and brings together contributions by researchers from different fields and disciplines, such as cognitive psychology, neuroscience and mathematics education. The chapters are presented in the light of the three instances that permeate the entire book: the learner, the teacher, and the teaching and learning process. Some of the chapters analyse the didactic challenges that teachers face in the classroom, such as how to interpret students' reasoning, the use of digital technologies, and their knowledge about mathematics. Other chapters examine students' opinions about mathematics, and others analyse the ways in which students solve situations that involve basic and complex mathematical concepts. The approaches adopted in the description and interpretation of the data obtained in the studies documented in this book point out the limits, the development, and the possibilities of students' thinking, and present didactic and cognitive perspectives to the learning scenarios in different school settings. Mathematical Reasoning of Children and Adults: Teaching and Learning from an Interdisciplinary Perspective will be a valuable resource for both mathematics teachers and researchers studying the development of mathematical reasoning in different fields, such as mathematics education, educational psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology.

The last decade has seen a rapid growth in our understanding of the cognitive systems that underlie mathematical learning and performance, and an increased recognition of the importance of this topic. This book showcases international research on the most important cognitive issues that affect mathematical performance across a wide age range, from early childhood to adulthood. The book considers the foundational competencies of nonsymbolic and symbolic number processing before discussing arithmetic, conceptual understanding, individual differences and dyscalculia, algebra, number systems, reasoning and higher-level mathematics such as formal proof. Drawing on diverse methodology from behavioural experiments to brain imaging, each chapter discusses key theories and empirical findings and introduces key tasks used by researchers. The final chapter discusses challenges facing the future development of the field of mathematical cognition and reviews a set of open questions that mathematical cognition researchers should address to move the field forward. This book is ideal for undergraduate or graduate students of psychology, education, cognitive sciences, cognitive neuroscience and other academic and clinical audiences including mathematics educators and educational psychologists.

In recent years national and international reports have been issued that speak of the sad state of the educational system in the United States and the desperate need for reform in teaching science and mathematics. Cognitive psychologists and mathematics and science educators have responded to this need by designing instructional programs that are more compatible with our knowledge of how people acquire, use, and retain knowledge. Many of the guiding principles that underlie these programs are presented in this volume such as teaching comprehension of scientific text through a problem-solving approach: problem planning and representation, selection of relevant information, and simultaneous monitoring of both the specifics of the problem and the mental processes being used to solve it.