Early Childhood Mathematics Education Research

This important new book synthesizes relevant research on the learning of mathematics from birth into the primary grades from the full range of these complementary perspectives. At the core of early math experts Julie Sarama and Douglas Clements's theoretical and empirical frameworks are learning trajectories—detailed descriptions of children’s thinking as they learn to achieve specific goals in a mathematical domain, alongside a related set of instructional tasks designed to engender those mental processes and move children through a developmental progression of levels of thinking. Rooted in basic issues of thinking, learning, and teaching, this groundbreaking body of research illuminates foundational topics on the learning of mathematics with practical and theoretical implications for all ages. Those implications are especially important in addressing equity concerns, as understanding the level of thinking of the class and the individuals within it, is key in serving the needs of all children.

This important new book synthesizes relevant research on the learning of mathematics from birth into the primary grades from the full range of these complementary perspectives. At the core of early math experts Julie Sarama and Douglas Clements's theoretical and empirical frameworks are learning trajectories—detailed descriptions of children’s thinking as they learn to achieve specific goals in a mathematical domain, alongside a related set of instructional tasks designed to engender those mental processes and move children through a developmental progression of levels of thinking. Rooted in basic issues of thinking, learning, and teaching, this groundbreaking body of research illuminates foundational topics on the learning of mathematics with practical and theoretical implications for all ages. Those implications are especially important in addressing equity concerns, as understanding the level of thinking of the class and the individuals within it, is key in serving the needs of all children.

In this book, 23 contributors offer new insights on key issues in mathematics education in early childhood.

The Development of Early Childhood Mathematics Education, Volume 53 in the Advances in Child Development and Behavior series, includes chapters that highlight some of the most recent research in the field of developmental psychology. Users will find updated chapters on a variety of topics, including sections on The DREME Network: Research and Interventions in Early Childhood Mathematics, The Use of Concrete Experiences in Early Childhood Mathematics Instruction, Interventions in Early Mathematics: Avoiding Pollution and Dilution, Coaching in Early Mathematics, and Designing Studies to Test Causal Questions About Early Math: The Development of Making Pre-K Count. Each chapter provides in-depth discussions, with this volume serving as an invaluable resource for developmental or educational psychology researchers, scholars and students. Contains chapters that highlight some of the most recent research in the area of child development and behavior Presents a wide array of topics that are discussed in detail

This book brings together a collection of research-based papers on current issues in early childhood mathematics education that were presented in the Topic Study Group 1 (TSG 1) at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-13), held at the University of Hamburg in 2016. It will help readers understand a range of key issues that early childhood mathematics educators encounter today. Research on early childhood mathematics education has grown in recent years, due in part to the well-documented, positive relation between children’s early mathematical knowledge and their later mathematics learning, and to the considerable emphasis many countries are now placing on preschool education. The book addresses a number of central questions, including: What is mathematical structural development and how can we promote it in early childhood? How can multimodality and embodiment contribute to early mathematics learning and to acquiring a better understanding of young children’s mathematical development? How can children’s informal mathematics-related experiences affect instruction and children’s learning in different mathematics content areas? What is the role of tools, including technology and picture books, in supporting early mathematics learning? What are the challenges in early childhood mathematics education for teachers’ education and professional development?

Engaging Young Children in Mathematics: Standards for Early Childhood Mathematics Education brings together the combined wisdom of a diverse group of experts involved with early childhood mathematics. The book originates from the landmark 2000 Conference on Standards for Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten Mathematics Education, attended by representatives from almost every state developing standards for young children's mathematics; federal government officials; mathematicians; mathematics educators; researchers from mathematics education, early childhood education, and psychology; curriculum developers; teachers; policymakers; and professionals from organizations such as the National Conference of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The main goal of the Conference was to work collectively to help those responsible for framing and implementing early childhood mathematics standards. Although it has its roots in the Conference, the expanded scope of the standards and recommendations covered in this book includes the full range of kindergarten to grade 2. The volume is organized into two main parts and an online appendix (http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/org/conference/). Part One, Major Themes and Recommendations, offers a framework for thinking about pre-kindergarten - grade 2 mathematics education and specific recommendations. Part Two, Elaboration of Major Themes and Recommendations, provides substantive detail regarding young students' understandings of mathematical ideas. Each Part includes five parallel subsections: "Standards in Early Childhood Education"; "Math Standards and Guidelines"; "Curriculum, Learning, Teaching, and Assessment"; "Professional Development"; and "Toward the Future: Implementation and Policy." As a whole the book: * presents comprehensive summaries of research that provide specific guidelines for standards, curriculum, and teaching; * takes the recent reports and recommendations for early childhood mathematics education to the next level; * integrates practical details and research throughout; and * provides a succinct, but thorough review of research on the topics, sequences, and learning trajectories that children can and should learn at each of their first years of life, with specific developmental guidelines that suggest appropriate content for each topic for each year from 2-year-olds to 7-year-olds. This is an indispensable volume for mathematics educators, researchers, curriculum developers, teachers and policymakers, including those who create standards, scope and sequences, and curricula for young children and professional teacher development materials, and students in mathematics education, early childhood trainers, teacher educators, and faculty in mathematics education.

The chapters in this book investigate and reflect on many of the issues and challenges raised by the current trends and tensions in early childhood mathematics education. They emanate from seven countries – Australia, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Ever since Fröbel invented the kindergarten, mathematics has been a part of early childhood pedagogy. Mathematics is an important part of children’s daily life, which helps them to understand the world around them. Nowadays, early childhood mathematics is in the international spotlight. Partly this is the result of myriad studies that seem to show that early childhood mathematics achievement is a strong predictor of success or otherwise in future school mathematics, other school subjects, and life itself. Another influence on early childhood mathematics education is the advent of the political and advocacy juggernaut known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Early childhood mathematics education is important for children’s present and future learning. This book provides a strong collection of current research for the consideration of all in the early childhood education field. It was originally published as a special issue of the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal.

The theoretical, practical and content guide to early childhood mathematics education. Mathematics in Early Childhood Education explores mathematics in a range of early childhood contexts, including home, playgroup, childcare, preschool, and school. This book unfolds layers of knowledge relevant to early childhood mathematics education to help pre-service teachers increase confidence and build up a comprehensive professional identity as a mathematics educator. Part 1 explains the overarching theoretical framework for the teaching of mathematics in early childhood education, including a dedicated chapter on curricula. Part 2 includes opinion pieces to various mathematics education approaches helping students to develop various theoretical perspectives. Part 3 provides lesson plans on topics such as patterns, measurement and space and geometry, allowing students to fully engross themselves in mathematics content. Mathematics in Early Childhood Education balances theoretical perspectives with strong practical examples and teacher guidance providing pre-service educators an all-round solution to teaching mathematics in early childhood.