Take a look and let us know what you think.

The challenges and barriers were described as:

In Higher Ed…

Lack of educators/access to higher education by providers

Lack of alignment between two and four-year institutions

Lack of understanding about how early math methods should be taught

Lack of qualifications among faculty who teach early math methods

In Professional Development….

Lace of access to professional development

Lack of buy-in to the need for professional development in early math

Lack of understanding of developmental progressions in early math

Once the challenges and barriers were identified, the Illinois Early Math Advisory Committee developed three major recommendation areas for improvement with several specific and immediate ideas outlined.

1.  Organization Strategies

2.  Higher Education Strategies

3.  Professional Development Strategies

Over the next three weeks, I am going to “unpack” these strategic areas and provide a forum to discuss the more specific ideas for implementation.

1.  What does research say about the correlation between early math competency and later academic success?

2.  What does existing data from SRI International, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and others tell us about early math outcomes and early math training needs?

3.  What math curricula are being utilized in university settings for Early Care and Education/Child Development teacher preparation programs?

4.  How is early math knowledge being transitioned into classroom instruction and practice?

5.  How effective are both university and community-based teaching strategies for early math?

6.  How do current practices/outcomes related to early math align with core standards and certifications?

7.  Is early math instruction accessible in all early care and education settings?

8.  How can we be assured that early math efforts in Illinois provide a strong foundation/baseline for all children?

9.  How should this early math knowledge impact current and ongoing discussions and work around teacher certification and credentials, student assessments, standards alignment?

Over the next few weeks, I will write about what the committee discovered when they went looking for the answers to the above questions.

Well-prepared teachers must find the balance between math education that is mistakenly delivered by “skill and drill” and that which is solely experienced through play.  It is not enough to present quality materials and manipulatives and hope that children learn math through play alone, nor do we want teachers to create an inappropriate environment where children are expected to learn math like their much older counterparts. Somewhere between these two extremes lies high-quality, appropriate, play-based, teacher-led, intentional and incidental math experiences and education for young children.

The report goes on to say that children will be best served if all early childhood professionals – across diverse settings –  have access to quality professional development.  This includes mentoring and coaching, participation in formal and informal educational opportunities, and opportunities for observation and feedback.  Not mentioned in the report, but I believe to be equally important is that all ECE teachers need more math education themselves.  It has been my experience that weak math skills in adults lead to avoidance of math opportunities in early childhood classrooms and possible incorrect math processes and understandings.

Next week, I will write about Beneke’s recommendations for what quality professional development should look like for ECE professionals in Illinois.

This report is a result of that work.  Over the next couple of Tuesdays, I am going to pull out some of the most interesting and useful information for you, the providers of care and education.

Take a look at the report in its entirety when you have a moment.  Next Tuesday, we begin.