The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics have developed these Principles for School Mathematics. What do you think of the following: NCTM PRINCIPLES FOR SCHOOL MATHEMATICS Equity: Excellence in mathematics education requires equally high expectations and strong support for all students. Curriculum: A curriculum is more than a collection of activities; it must be coherent, […]
Yesterday, one of my dearest friends sent me a link to this article from the New York Times ; Why do Americans Stink at Math? It is long. So go and get yourself a good cup of strong coffee and pull up a chair. This article not only explores the reasons why Americans suffer from […]
We write math sentences from left to write and use mathematical symbols and words to communicate a mathematical problem (or situation). Once children are in grade school they will read and write math sentences for years. So how do we prepare them for this eventuality? I bet most of you already use math sentences with your children […]
At the bottom of the Blog page (scroll down to the bottom) you will see a notice that says, “Subscribe to Blog Via Email”. If you complete the next box, you will receive notices from the Early Math Counts site and you will be “registered” as a part of our community.
The notion that young children simply “count” the same way they recite their ABC’s is a misconception of this skill. Yes, young children can memorize a set of words in order (one, two, three, four, etc.) but understanding that each of those words represents a quantity is a skill that comes much later. Knowing “how many” is […]
This little piggie went to market. This little piggie stayed home. This little piggie had roast beef. This little piggie had none. And this little piggie cried, “Whee whee whee” all the way home. There is nothing on earth as precious as baby toes. They are so little and soft and squishy and I really […]
Do you remember kids who were good at math, but not so good at reading and social studies? I do. It seemed like people fell into two groups; those who were good at math and those who were good at reading. Nowadays, it is impossible to be good at math if you are not a […]
Did you know that Early Math Counts has a Pinterest page? We set it up so that we could share ideas about early childhood environments that our readers might find interesting. Most of the images on this site depict areas of the ece environment that support early math learning, although there are some that are […]
I am very lucky to have many friends and colleagues who forward me great tidbits to add to this blog. Yesterday, Dr. Kathleen Sheridan (co-creator of Early Math Counts) sent me this link to the Academic Minute, a radio program from the northeast corner of the US, in which academics from around the country present a […]
Last week, I wrote about egg cartons as a tool that is easy-to-find, free, and versatile. You can’t imagine my excitement when I find these eggs at our local Costco. I immediately started imagining all of the ways I would use this empty carton in my classroom, if I still had one. As a sorting […]