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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: 2) by Magic Oddball on Tuesday March 22 2016, @08:56PM
I was excellent at performing math in my head as a little kid thanks to my mother starting me out with Cuisenaire Rods [wikipedia.org] (each length of rectangle a different color e.g. 5 white cubes = 1 blue rod, 2 blue rods = 1 red rod) as soon as I was old enough to not chew on them. She eventually put that with my reading lessons as a pretending game of "let's play 'school,'" so I was able to read, spell, and perform basic algebra by age 4.
I didn't do well on timed math tests in school due to the distracting noise of other kids moving/fidgeting, though, so my parents made the mistake of resorting to flash cards & timed computer games like Alligator Mix [youtube.com]. Failing so often in school led me to stress out as soon as I saw the numbers, so I couldn't concentrate at home — that just made things worse. Trying to show me "tricks" by noticing patterns, games involving numbers like cribbage, etc. didn't help, either.
(Score: 2) by Alfred on Wednesday March 23 2016, @01:27PM
We have something like that except it is 1, 10, 100. Simpler but lines up with the digits. They always make a mess with them when in building block mode though. Of course I would build with them to if I was that age.
Too bad the colors of your rods don't line up with the resistor code. That would be extra cool. Guess I could buy 10 colors of paint if needed.