“Early math is cognitively fundamental. It’s not just about number and shapes. There’s reasoning and thinking embedded in what we do in early mathematics that forms a foundation for years to come.”
Doug Clements, early learning expert at the University of Denver
Why is early mathematics learning important?
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Mathematics is a creative, meaning-making endeavor that can empower children and adults to become problem solvers in their own lives.
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Mathematics learning is not a function of genetic inheritance, but a result of effort and equitable instruction.
FOUNDATIONAL MATH TOPIC: SETS
FOUNDATIONAL MATH TOPIC: NUMBER SENSE
FOUNDATIONAL MATH TOPIC: COUNTING
Sets are basic to children’s thinking and learning. They are also basic to our number system. One of the most important jobs of each number is to describe “how many” there are in a set of things —be it one, seven, or three hundred and nineteen. Before we can figure out how many apples there are, we have to decide which things are apples, and which are not. Once we’ve created the set of things that are apples, perhaps by separating them from the oranges, then we can count them. Counting requires a set, and as a result, the properties of sets have a large influence on the number system, and on mathematics. © Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative
Number sense is the ability to understand the quantity of a set and the name associated with that quantity. Strong number sense developed in the early years is a key building block of learning arithmetic in the primary grades, as it connects counting to quantities, solidifies and refines the understanding of more and less, and helps children estimate quantities and measurements. © Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative
Reprinted from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (2014), Pearson Education.
Counting is a part of young children’s daily life. They love to count everything from the stairs they climb to the crackers they eat. But what is counting? What is there to be understood about counting? What do most children know about counting? What more is there to be learned? Counting seems very simple; but it is really quite complex. By developing a sophisticated sense of what counting is and what kind of counting we ought to emphasize in teaching, parents and teachers can better assist children with the development of counting skills and mathematical thinking. © Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative