A major national initiative to improve early childhood mathematics education is vitally important for young children's educational success, says a new report from the National Research Council. Karen Fuson, professor emerita of the School of Education and Social Policy and an expert on early mathematics learning, is an author of the report, Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths toward Excellence and Equity.
"Not much math is taught in kindergarten and even less is taught in preschools and early childhood care centers. There also are large differences in the level of math knowledge for children entering kindergarten due to differences in what children learn at home," says Fuson. "The report identifies learning paths of math knowledge that can lead all children to the higher levels of understanding needed for understanding grade 1 math at a level that is internationally competitive. These learning paths can also close the gaps that stem from differences in learning experiences in the home."
Relying on a thorough review of research, the report identifies the critical areas of math education for young children and the changes needed to improve the quality of their math experiences. "Mathematics education has risen to the top of the national policy agenda as part of the need to improve the technical and scientific literacy of the American public," says the committee issuing the report, chaired by Christopher T. Cross.
Historically, mathematics has been viewed by many early childhood educators as unimportant or developmentally inappropriate for young children, but research indicates otherwise, the report says. As early as infancy, children are able to think about their world in mathematical ways; by 10 months of age, babies can distinguish a set of two items from a set of three. Young children continue to expand their competence in informal, spontaneous ways -- by counting toys, for example, or pointing out shapes. Adult support in a positive learning environment is vital to helping children increase their knowledge and see the mathematical aspects of everyday situations, the report says.The amount of time devoted to and focused on mathematics needs to be increased in all public and private preschool settings, which aims to inform the efforts of Head Start, state-funded preschool programs, curriculum developers and teachers. Currently mathematics activities are often embedded in other lessons and secondary to other learning goals. But research shows that learning experiences in which mathematics is the secondary rather than the primary goal are less effective for promoting math learning.
The report recommends that mathematics instruction in early childhood settings concentrate on two major content areas. The first area -- and the one to which the most time should be devoted -- is the concept of "number," which includes counting, determining less and more, and basic computational operations such as adding and subtracting. The second area is geometry, spatial thinking and measurement. Within those areas, children should reflect on and discuss the mathematical reasoning used to solve problems. For example, children might practice measuring various objects using a wooden block and then discuss why it is important to use a standard unit of measure in determining whether one object is longer or taller than another.
For each content area the report describes "teaching-learning paths" -- sequences of learning experiences in which one idea lays the foundation for the next. Research has shown these pathways to be effective for children to build knowledge and competence in mathematics, says the committee. For example, a child might be shown many examples of shapes to learn what aspects are mathematically relevant to determining shape -- a square must have four sides, for instance -- and what factors are not, such as size or orientation.
The teaching-learning paths outlined in the report should be the basis of classroom instruction, the committee says, and states should revise their early childhood learning standards to reflect these paths. Curriculum developers also should base their materials on these learning pathways.
A key component of the new national initiative would be providing teachers with professional development about the teaching-learning paths and how to implement a strong mathematics curriculum, the report says. And any serious effort to improve early childhood math instruction will need to include licensure and accreditation processes that assess teachers' and programs' competence in teaching math.
Opportunities to receive high-quality math instruction are especially important for low-income children, the committee says, urging implementation of the report's recommendations by Head Start and other publicly funded programs. Children from low-income families, on average, demonstrate lower levels of competence in math prior to entering school, and these gaps persist or widen as schooling continues. Providing these children with high-quality mathematics instruction early on can help address long-term systematic inequities in educational outcomes.
The report was sponsored by the Office of Head Start and Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter. A committee roster follows.Copies of Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths toward Excellence and Equity are available from the National Academies Press. To take advantage of a 25 percent discount offer, readers may enter the promotional code MATLEA when they place an order.
Fuson's recent work has focused on the development of a research-based program for kindergarten through fifth grade, now published as Math Expressions, which came out on top in a recent study by Mathematica Policy Research. Throughout her career Fuson has studied the teaching of mathematical understandings and skills from age 2 to 8, as well as the mathematics learning of Latino and urban children.