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Parents often get a jump on formal instruction when it comes to language and literacy by reading to their toddlers and teaching the alphabet before their kids ever set foot in a classroom. But getting a head start on mathematics is often restricted to teaching children to count, says Lynn McGarvey, a professor of elementary education at the University of Alberta whose research looks at teaching and learning math in early childhood.
McGarvey says her research focus on instilling mathematical concepts in young learners aims to promote numeracy the way literacy has been emphasized as a foundational educational experience.
"When educators and parents create opportunities for mathematical engagement in day-to-day activities, then children will experience mathematics not just as a skill or a tool, but a way of thinking and being in the world," she says.
McGarvey says there are a few things math-minded parents and early childhood educators can think about when interacting with young learners.
I've tried lots of things to get my kids interested in math. So far, the most effective has been demonstrating the power of purposeful laziness. What are your experiences?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by VLM on Tuesday March 22 2016, @02:06PM
I read the first link. Interesting, worth the time. Two (or more) problems:
Its cheaty because you can't instruct kids on reading comprehension, problem solving, creativity, debate, and then feign surprise when provided with something mathematical to read about, they remain excellent readers and debaters. I'm sure if provided with something to read about science, they'd likewise be observed to be peculiarly good at science. At least WRT reading and debating and critical thinking topics. Tossing the kids something abstract, a little less concrete than a stick in the mud ratio problem, would likely catch them up pretty badly. Of course most peoples math problems thru their lives are not very abstract at all, so maybe it doesn't matter if they can't do something they don't need to do.
The other problem is it doesn't matter how many grade school teachers read it, its in direct opposition to drill -n- kill traditions and common core principles, and since deviation from micromanaged curricula will merely get them fired rather than changing anything, reading it will accomplish little other than depressing them.
Its probably worth parents reading it, on the principle that school is just a daycare and never let school get in the way of your education, so reading and estimating and critical thinking are worth having parents try to teach it, even if schools have given up on those topics.
Something to think about is I bet the guy got a lot of static in the 30s for not teaching arithmetic because sometimes you really did have to do it, back in the old days. Now of course everyone assumes we'll always have calculators and smartphones and computers so no one should ever learn arithmetic, other than maybe computer science students curious about algorithm improvement. If we ever join the Amish or have a substantial EMP hit, my own kids are totally ready to do long division. Of course they never will in the real world.
The essays do smack a bit of classical education / great books curriculum boosterism. That's how I was educated and I liked it and learned a hell of a lot. I also went to school but all I did was F around in school, at least school never interfered with my real education. I have the opinion that despite my personal good experience and the articles claims to the contrary, great books curriculum / classical education is really not for everyone, in actual practice. Maybe you can brow beat some of it into little kids at a low level, but a life of experience tells me ignorant people want to be ignorant and will not be denied. Possibly thats maybe more a cultural problem than an educational problem. Also today in the 2010s there some weird entryism going on with evangelicals home schooling and the great books or classical education, although I can personally verify that before their entryism there was no required linkage of those curricula with religion or home schoolling or any of that.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by art guerrilla on Tuesday March 22 2016, @11:31PM
"The other problem is it doesn't matter how many grade school teachers read it, its in direct opposition to drill -n- kill traditions and common core principles, and since deviation from micromanaged curricula will merely get them fired rather than changing anything, reading it will accomplish little other than depressing them."
*ouch*
that needs a 'sad-but-all-too-true' moderation...
the sad reality on the frontlines of teaching: the administration WILL throw you overboard whenever there is a wrinkle in the space-time continuum which questions the teach-to-the-test regimen...
SWMBO is between that rock and hard place, and that is ALL the teacher-rats are allowed: run the maze, memorize the maze, no deviations, no wrong turns, no imagination, no fucking teaching, simply rote and regurgitate...
oh, and test, Test, TEST ! ! !
with the results -literally- almost NEVER seen by the teachers until WAY AFTER THE FACT... they have NOTHING to do with 'evaluating/teaching/learning', and EVERYTHING to do with a scam to enrich connected pukes, and an authoritarian means of dumbing down public education, and consequently, the populace...
all we need stupid proles for, is dying in wars, and washing the floors of their betters...
(since we got the computer-based voting fixed, we dont' even need to pwetend their votes are needed...)