The Washington Post – Early Math Counts

Math Anxiety and What You Should’t Do

Early Math Counts — Tue, 03 May 2016 16:57:37 +0000

Over the past few years I have thought a lot about math anxiety. Before the Early Math Counts project and this blog, I never gave it much thought expect to acknowledge that it is a real thing and it matters.

I wrote about a friend whose life was forever changed by a teacher who told her she was “no good” at math and that one interaction altered the course of her life. I wrote about how we can battle math anxiety through a variety of techniques and strategies that genuinely work.

Today, I present you with an article from the Washington Post that clearly explains why we need to stop telling children that we are bad at math. Take a look at this article and see how our adult behavior affects children’s performance and attitudes about math.

What does “High-Quality” mean?

Early Math Counts — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 18:34:00 +0000

This article appeared in the Washington Post blog on February 1st. Written by the fabulous Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards (one of my favorites), he articulately and concisely argues what we ECE folks have known all along – that policy-makers focus on “high-quality” with little ability to describe what that means, and then insist on it.

Read it – and then tell the Early Math Counts readers how you define “high-quality.”

The Common Core and What it Means in K-3 Education

Early Math Counts — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 20:03:55 +0000

I know you have been hearing a lot about “The Common Core”, or “the Core” if you are in the biz of education. Here is a harrowing report about the Core and what it means for Early Childhood. Please read.