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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 Vanderhoth on Wednesday March 23 2016, @10:27AM
... Fractions aren't imperial. I mean I get what you're saying about the unit conversion, but you'll likely still need to know that 1/2 of a metre is 50 cm, or 3/4 of a metre is 75 cm. One of the strengths of the imperial system is that inches are pretty intuitive for doing things like woodworking. Metric is great for precision, but for small, approximate, measurements inches work best because you're not working in decimals or converting between smaller units.
For imperil an inch is all you need for smaller measurements. 1 inch, 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, 1/8 inch, 1/16 inch, which is just halves of halves. If you can work with these it makes measuring and cutting really easy. Not so much when you're working with decimals or moving from 1/2 cm to 50 mm. Worst you get with imperial, for smaller measurements, is needing to know there's 12 inches in a foot.
I'm Canadian BTW, I tend to use both systems interchangeably for various things. I buy my food by the gram and litre, but do my baking by the cup, pound and ounce. I measure distance by kilometers by calculate my car's efficiency in miles per gallon. We've been in this sort of limbo between systems for a long time.
"Now we know", "And knowing is half the battle". -G.I. Joooooe