SoylentNews

A Little Fun With Mathematics Early in Life can go a Long Way, Says Education Professor

posted by martyb on Tuesday March 22 2016, @11:17AM   
from the that-sums-it-up dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

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?

---

Original Submission

• Re:Measuring cups and lego Re:Measuring cups and lego (Score: 3, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday March 22 2016, @07:35PM

  by Phoenix666 (552) on Tuesday March 22 2016, @07:35PM (#321783) Journal

  It's funny actually because if you say it as "What's two plus three?", she thinks about it really hard and takes a lot of time to figure it out, but she gets it instantly without even thinking about it when we're talking about guest coming to her tea party. So I know the skills are there, I just don't know how to get her to do 'plain' math without it having to be some odd word problem.

  I think that's it. The power of math is its abstraction, but that's also its weakness for learners. I took a writing course in grad school called "Little Red Schoolhouse" that taught great writing uses concrete concepts coupled with actions, because that's how humans are hard-wired to understand the world. I think the same dynamic is at work in math education, and your anecdote sounds similar to successes I've seen with my kids.

  To expand a bit on "the power of purposeful laziness," I've done exercises with my kids to teach them the power of math. One was dumping a pile of M&M's on the table with the promise that they could have 10 if they counted them all correctly. It was a big pile and it took forever for them to count them one by one. Then I taught them sets and they thought that was the greatest thing since sliced bread--more candy, faster!

  I would like to think that when the day arrives when they're asked to write proofs I'll be able to help them there, too, but I always sucked at that.

  --
  Washington DC delenda est.

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+1
  Informative=1, Total=1
  Extra 'Informative' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		3

• Re:Measuring cups and lego (Score: 2) by Vanderhoth on Wednesday March 23 2016, @10:11AM

  by Vanderhoth (61) on Wednesday March 23 2016, @10:11AM (#322006)

  One was dumping a pile of M&M's on the table with the promise that they could have 10 if they counted them all correctly. It was a big pile and it took forever for them to count them one by one. Then I taught them sets

  I'm stealing this idea.

  --
  "Now we know", "And knowing is half the battle". -G.I. Joooooe

  Parent