Mathematics In Early Years Education

This fourth edition of the bestselling Mathematics in Early Years Education provides an accessible introduction to the teaching of mathematics in the early years. Covering all areas of mathematics – number and counting, calculation, pattern, shape, measures and data handling – it provides a wide range of practical activities and guidance on how to support young children’s mathematical development. There is also guidance on managing the transition to KS1 and a strong emphasis throughout on creating home links and working in partnership with parents. This new edition has been fully updated to incorporate the latest research and thinking in this area and includes: why mathematics is important as a way of making sense of the world how attitudes to mathematics can influence teaching and learning how children learn mathematics and what they are capable of learning how technology can support maths teaching maths phobia and the impact society has on maths teaching material on sorting, matching and handling data the importance of educating about finance in today’s world ideas for observation and questioning to assess children’s understanding examples of planned activities suggestions for language development assessment criteria. This textbook is ideal for those training to be teachers through an undergraduate or PGCE route, those training for Early Years Professional Status and those studying early childhood on foundation or honours degrees, as well as parents looking to explore how their young children learn mathematics. This will be an essential text for any early years practitioner looking to make mathematics interesting, exciting and engaging in their classroom.

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.

This book gives insights in the vivid research area of early mathematics learning. The collection of selected chapters mirrors the research topics presented at the fourth POEM conference in May 2018. Thematically, the volume reflects the importance of this evolving area of research, which has begun to attract attention in the spheres of education and public policy due to increased interest in early years learning. The research foci of the chapters comprise children’s mathematical reasoning, early years mathematics teaching, and the role of parents for children’s mathematical development. The 2018 conference included a wider range of researchers than previous years.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

How can early years practitioners help young children to become not only numerate but aspiring mathematicians who love numbers, shapes and mathematical comparisons? The introduction of the Foundation Stage has led to practitioners seeking ways to teach maths which are more in line with the creative and playful ways young children learn other subjects. Linda Pound draws on current thinking about children's mathematical development to show how you can encourage and enhance the numeracy skills of any child in the early years by linking maths to every-day life situations and making it a playful and enjoyable cross-curricular activity. This highly practical and engaging text includes chapters on: why maths is often seen as 'hard' and what practitioners can do to help young children be more successful exploring shapes, space, measures and patterns how to make maths more fun and playful, using games, humour, stories and rhymes using music and dance to enhance mathematical understanding encouraging children to see the connection between maths and everyday experiences through, for example sorting, matching and guessing creating an environment for mathematical development, indoors and out Concluding with a chapter on how practitioners and parents can become more confident in their use of maths, this user-friendly text, packed full of ideas, is essential reading for practitioners in any early years setting. Students on Early Education courses will also find much here to inspire them.

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.

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?

Structured around Bishop’s six fundamental mathematical activities, this book brings together examples of mathematics education from a range of countries to help readers broaden their view on maths and its interrelationship to other aspects of life. Considering different educational traditions and diverse contexts, and illustrating theory through the use of real-life vignettes throughout, this book encourages readers to review, reflect on, and critique their own practice when conducting activities on explaining, counting, measuring, locating, designing, and playing. Aimed at early childhood educators and practitioners looking to improve the mathematics learning experience for all their students, this practical and accessible guide provides the knowledge and tools to help every child.