5Teaching Math To Young Children

5Evidence-BasedRecommendations forTeaching Math to Young ChildrenChildren have a natural interest in math, and the Teaching Math to Young Childrenpractice guide aims to help teachers capitalize on that interest to make children’spreschool and school experience more engaging and beneficial.In this practice guide summary, you will find: An overview of the guide’s five practical, evidence-based recommendations Examples of innovative tools and strategies teachers can use in their classrooms A brief discussion of the evidence that supports the guide’s recommendationsWhat Works Clearinghouse

Teaching Math to Young ChildrenBy the NumbersThe Teaching Math to Young Children practice guide was developed by a panelof nationally recognized experts in early childhood education. It contains fivepractical, evidence-based recommendations for educators to use to teach mathin their classrooms. This By the Numbers overview highlights the wide varietyof useful features teachers will find in the guide. We begin with a summary ofthe panel’s recommendations and action steps, followed by a discussion of thesystematic review of the evidence that forms the basis of the guide. We concludewith a selection of examples, figures, tables, and other features teachers can putto use in their classrooms right away. When these resources are added up theysum to an invaluable resource for teaching math to young children52111clear recommendationsfor teaching math to3–5 year olds.specific action steps forimplementing the guide’srecommendations.1329helpful examples of classroomactivities and games forhelping children practice math.154710figures to illustrate conceptsand ideas discussed in thepractice guide.tables that organizeinformation for teachers touse during lesson planning.28solutions to commonroadblocks teachers mayencounter when teachingmath to young children.studies that met rigorousWWC evidence standard tocraft the recommendationsof this guide.references cited to supportthe recommendations inthe guide.terms defined in theglossary for teachersto reference.

Teaching Math to Young ChildrenRecommendationsAction Steps&The Teaching Math to Young Children practice guide is organized around five mainrecommendations, each supported by a set of clear, action-oriented steps teacherscan use in their classrooms.Recommendation 1: Teach number andoperations using a developmental progression. Provide children with opportunities to subitizesmall collections, practice counting, comparethe magnitude of collections, and use numeralsto quantify collections before moving on tosimple arithmetic problems.Recommendation 2: Teach geometry,patterns, measurement, and data analysisusing a developmental progression. Teach children to recognize and compareshapes, identify and create patterns, makedirect comparisons using measurementtools, and collect and organize information.Recommendation 3: Use progressmonitoring to ensure that math instructionbuilds on what each child knows.Recommendation 4: Teach children to viewand describe their world mathematically. Determine children’s current level of math Use informal methods to represent mathknowledge based on a developmentalprogression, and then use the informationabout children’s skills to tailor instruction.concepts generally before linking thoseconcepts to specific formal math vocabularyand symbols. Open-ended questions andmath conversation can encourage childrento practice applying their math knowledge ineveryday situations.Recommendation 5: Dedicate time each day toteaching math, and integrate math instructionthroughout the school day. Deliberately set aside time each day to teachmath and look for opportunities to incorporatemath across the curriculum.

Teaching Math to Young ChildrenEvidenceTeachers face a host of decisions every day about what materials to use, what activities toselect, and what tools to employ that are most effective for helping their students learn math.WWC practice guides help teachers make those decisions by providing expert recommendations based on current education research. A panel of experts systematically reviewed over2,300 studies related to teaching math to young children, and identified 29 studies that meetWWC evidence standards. The highlights of those studies are summarized below.The panel followed WWC guidelines todetermine the strength of the evidenceto support each recommendation. Strong: A “strong” evidence rating isassigned to recommendations that contain a large body of rigorous evidencethat isolates the practice and demonstrates it has consistent and positiveimpacts in typical settings. Moderate: A rating of “moderate” isassigned when there is evidence to suggest the practice is effective, but there isan indication that the practice may notbe effective in every setting or by itself. Minimal: In some cases the panel makesrecommendations that are not backedby a body of rigorous evidence, eitherbecause more research is necessary inthis area or because there are problemswith the research base. In these casesthe panel relies on their expert knowledge and support from less rigorousstudies to assign a rating of “minimal”to the recommendation.The panel determined that most recommendations are supported by a minimallevel of evidence. Although many studiessupported each recommendation, fewstudies examined the effectiveness ofthe practices in isolation, several studiesevaluated interventions that containedmultiple practices, and many studies didnot provide sufficient information on theinstruction received by the comparisongroup. The evidence rating for each recommendation is presented below. Formore details on the specific studies thatcontribute to the evidence ratings, pleasesee Appendix D of the practice guide.Levels of EvidenceRecommendation1. Teach number and operations using a denceMinimalEvidence 2. Teach geometry, patterns, measurement, and data analysisusing a developmental progression. 3. Use progress monitoring to ensure that math instructionbuilds on what each child knows. 4. Teach children to view and describe their worldmathematically. 5. Dedicate time each day to teaching math, and integrate mathinstruction throughout the school day.

Teaching Math to Young ChildrenExamples& RoadblocksThroughout the guide, teachers will find examples of classroom activities and games thatcan supplement their lesson plans and provide opportunities for children to learn math.Example: The Concentration: Numeral and Dots gameObjective: Match numerals with corresponding quantities.3Materials needed: One set of twenty cards: ten cards withnumerals from 1 to 10 along with the corresponding numberof dots, and ten cards with pictures of objects (the numbers ofobjects corresponding to a numeral 1–10). For even more advancedplay, once children are proficient at numerals 1–10, teachers can create cards fornumerals 11–20.4Directions: Half of the cards have a numeral and dots to represent the amount(e.g., the numeral 3 and three dots) on one side, and the other half have pictures ofcollections of objects on one side (e.g., three horses, four ducks). The other side of eachcard is blank. The cards are placed face down, with the numeral cards in one area andthe picture cards in another. A player chooses one numeral card and one picture card.If they match, then the player keeps those cards. Play continues until no further matchingcards remain. The player with the most cards wins the game.Early math content areas covered: Numeral recognition. Corresponding quantity. If the objects in the pictures on the cards are in different orders, it can help reinforcethe idea that appearance does not matter when it comes to number.Monitoring children’s progress and tailoring the activity appropriately: Play the game with a small group of children, noting each child’s progress in practicingand achieving the objectives. This game can be played with children who are not familiar with numeracy concepts.Use fewer cards, lower numbers, or cards with dots to scaffold. As children gain proficiencywith the concepts, increase the number of cards and the size of the numbers.Using the activity to increase math talk in the classroom: Before asking, “How many?” ask, “How can we find out how many?”In addition to these helpful examples, the practice guide also includesconcrete solutions to many of the common roadblocks that teachers may facewhen teaching math to young children.

Teaching Math to Young ChildrenFigures, Tables,The graphics and figures in theguide visually illustrate particularconcepts for teachers and children.Teachers can adapt the figuresto their children’s needs andincorporate them directly intothe classroom. Other informationis arranged into well-organizedtables for educators to referencewhile lesson planning andteaching. Additionally, the WWCcarefully defined nearly 30 termsin the glossary of the guide,providing teachers with aresource that they can quicklyreference for clarification on anumber of concepts.& GlossaryTable of vocabulary words for types of measurementType ofMeasurementExamples ofVocabulary WordsLengthlong, longer, longest;short, shorter, shortestSizesmall, smaller, smallest;big, bigger, biggestTemperaturewarm, warmer, warmest;cold, colder, coldestTimeearly, earlier, earliest;late, later, latestA.M.WeightP.M.heavy, heavier, heaviest;light, lighter, lightestCreating a math-rich environment in the classroomA readily available clock allowschildren to practice measuringtime.1011 121298Art Station 137654Art Station 2Work stations,cubbies, andactivity centersoffer opportunities to label andorganize areasof the classroomin a way thatsupports learning.Throughout theschool year,children can helpteachers trackand organizeinformation:attendancecounts, who hasa birthday eachmonth, etc.Shapes, numbers, and othermath conceptscan be placedat eye-level forchildren.Teachers can incorporate patterns into classroom rugs, curtains, supplies, etc.

math conversation can encourage children to practice applying their math knowledge in everyday situations. Recommendation 5: Dedicate time each day to teaching math, and integrate math instruction throughout the school day. Deliberately set aside time each day to teach math and look for opportunities to incorporate math across the curriculum.