Facts In Action

Many school-readiness initiatives are focusing on improving children's literacy skills, but some educators are asking whether math instruction is being ignored as a result. In response, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, along with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, is drafting a joint position statement about appropriate math instruction for 3- to 6-year olds.

The NCTM identifies several reasons math should receive a greater emphasis in preschools. Children enjoy informal mathematical tasks such as counting and making shapes, and these interests should be nurtured. Additionally, researchers have found that expanding the math curriculum for young children can narrow the gap in math scores between low-income groups and other children that emerges once children enter school.

The guidelines set out by the NAEYC and NCTM relate to the math topics that are appropriate for preschoolers. However, those who advocate for increasing the emphasis on math in early education programs stress that how math is taught on this level is just as important as what is taught. The best lessons for a preschooler are usually not the kind acquired while sitting down for a group lesson, but those that occur when a teacher recognizes an opportunity to help a child develop math skills during self-directed play or regular activities.

Source:
"Experts Say Young Children Need More Math," L. Jacobson, Education Week, September 26, 2001.

For more information:
go on-line at www.edweek.com.

Source:
"Mathematics in the Preschool," D. Clements, Teaching Children Mathematics, Volume 7, Number 5, January 2001.

For more information:
go on-line at my.nctm.org/eresources/journal_home.asp?journal_id=4.

Facts in Action, December 2001