Individual Activity
TUTOR
HENRY LENIS
DIDACTICS OF MATHEMATICS
The order in which skills and concepts build on one another as children develop
knowledge is called a developmental progression.
There are different developmental progressions for each skill. These
developmental progressions are important for educators to understand
because they show the order in which young children typically learn math
concepts and skills.
The panel believes educators should pay attention to the order in which math
instruction occurs and ensure that children are comfortable with earlier steps in
the progression before being introduced to more complex steps. Understanding
developmental progressions is also necessary to employ progress monitoring,
a form of assessment that tracks individual children’s success along the steps
in the progression.
Dramatic play can be naturally mathematical with the right setting. In one study,
teachers and children put together a shop in the dramatic-play area, where the
shopkeeper fills orders and asks the customer for money ($1 for each dinosaur
toy).
In one classroom, Gabi was the shopkeeper. Tamika handed her a five card (5
dots and the numeral "5") as her order. Gabi counted out five toy dinosaurs.
Teacher (just entering the area): How many did you buy?
Tamika: Five.
Tamika: Because Gabi counted. (Tamika was still working on her counting skills,
and trusted Gabi's counting more than her own knowledge of five. The play
allowed her to develop her knowledge.)
Janelle: I'm getting a big number. (She handed Gabi a 2 and a 5 card.)
As Gabi counted out the two separate piles and put them in a basket, Janelle
counted out dollars. She miscounted and gave her $6.
CBM-Probe
Ms. Begay’s fourth-grade class is using the math curriculum adopted by the
district. Each unit introduces a new skill, which becomes progressively more
difficult throughout the year. She tests her students weekly on the math skills
they are studying and instructs each student until he or she has achieved
mastery. Instructional strategies are modified when students are having
difficulty with the material. When all students have achieved 75% mastery, she
moves on to the next unit. The probe to the right demonstrates the skill Ms.
Begay is teaching this week, 2 x 3 multiplication problems.
3. What does it mean that math instruction is built on what children know?
Number Sense
This is the ability to count accurately—first forward. Then, later in school,
children will learn to count backwards. A more complex skill related to number
sense is the ability to see relationships between numbers—like adding and
subtracting. Ben (age 2) saw the cupcakes on the plate. He counted with his
dad: “One, two, three, four, five, six…”
If children hear math vocabulary in context and then practice using it, they may
be better able to understand the underlying math concepts.
EXAMPLE objects, actions, words, pictures, or symbols that stand for ideas.
Two curricula that focus narrowly on number and operations but are
comprehensive in the aspects of number and operations addressed are
Rightstart and Math Is Everywhere, this is a curriculum designed to fully
integrate math into regular classroom practice.
Children who received the Math Is Everywhere curriculum performed better on
average on a test of general numeracy skills than children in a comparison
condition who received regular classroom instruction.
Classrooms may also use curricula that include more than just math—for
example, a curriculum that includes math, reading, and science in a single
package. The panel reviewed five studies of comprehensive curricula that
included an explicit math component.
Problem-solving
The ability to think through a problem, to recognize t (ASSISTANCE, 2013)here
is more than one path to the answer. It means using past knowledge and logical
thinking skills to find an answer. Carl (15 months old) looked at the shape-
sorter—a plastic drum with 3 holes in the top. The holes were in the shape of a
triangle, a circle and a square. Carl looked at the chunky shapes on the floor.
He picked up a triangle. He put it in his month, then banged it on the floor. He
touched the edges with his fingers. Then he tried to stuff it in each of the holes
of the new toy. Surprise! It fell inside the triangle hole! Carl reached for another
block, a circular one this time…
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