This third edition of the best-selling Mathematics in Nursery Education provides an accessible introduction to the teaching of mathematics in the early years. Covering all areas of mathematics learning – number and counting, calculation, pattern, shape, measures and data handling – it summarises the research findings and underlying key concepts and explains how adults can help children to learn through practical experiences, discussion and more direct intervention. This new edition has been fully updated to incorporate the latest research and thinking in this area and includes: why mathematics is important as a way of making sense of the world how attitudes to mathematics can influence teaching and learning how children learn mathematics new material on sorting, matching and handling data ideas for observation and questioning to assess children’s understanding examples of planned activities suggestions for language development assessment criteria. This textbook is ideal for those training to be teachers through an undergraduate or PGCE route, those training for Early Years Professional Status and those studying early childhood on foundation or honours degrees as well as parents looking to explore how their young children learn mathematics. This will be an essential text for any Early Years practitioner looking to make mathematics interesting, exciting and engaging in their classroom.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

This book gives insights in the vivid research area of early mathematics learning. The collection of selected chapters mirrors the research topics presented at the fourth POEM conference in May 2018. Thematically, the volume reflects the importance of this evolving area of research, which has begun to attract attention in the spheres of education and public policy due to increased interest in early years learning. The research foci of the chapters comprise children’s mathematical reasoning, early years mathematics teaching, and the role of parents for children’s mathematical development. The 2018 conference included a wider range of researchers than previous years.

This book brings together a collection of research-based papers on current issues in early childhood mathematics education that were presented in the Topic Study Group 1 (TSG 1) at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-13), held at the University of Hamburg in 2016. It will help readers understand a range of key issues that early childhood mathematics educators encounter today. Research on early childhood mathematics education has grown in recent years, due in part to the well-documented, positive relation between children’s early mathematical knowledge and their later mathematics learning, and to the considerable emphasis many countries are now placing on preschool education. The book addresses a number of central questions, including: What is mathematical structural development and how can we promote it in early childhood? How can multimodality and embodiment contribute to early mathematics learning and to acquiring a better understanding of young children’s mathematical development? How can children’s informal mathematics-related experiences affect instruction and children’s learning in different mathematics content areas? What is the role of tools, including technology and picture books, in supporting early mathematics learning? What are the challenges in early childhood mathematics education for teachers’ education and professional development?

Early childhood mathematics is vitally important for young children's present and future educational success. Research demonstrates that virtually all young children have the capability to learn and become competent in mathematics. Furthermore, young children enjoy their early informal experiences with mathematics. Unfortunately, many children's potential in mathematics is not fully realized, especially those children who are economically disadvantaged. This is due, in part, to a lack of opportunities to learn mathematics in early childhood settings or through everyday experiences in the home and in their communities. Improvements in early childhood mathematics education can provide young children with the foundation for school success. Relying on a comprehensive review of the research, Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood lays out the critical areas that should be the focus of young children's early mathematics education, explores the extent to which they are currently being incorporated in early childhood settings, and identifies the changes needed to improve the quality of mathematics experiences for young children. This book serves as a call to action to improve the state of early childhood mathematics. It will be especially useful for policy makers and practitioners-those who work directly with children and their families in shaping the policies that affect the education of young children.

The theoretical, practical and content guide to early childhood mathematics education. Mathematics in Early Childhood Education explores mathematics in a range of early childhood contexts, including home, playgroup, childcare, preschool, and school. This book unfolds layers of knowledge relevant to early childhood mathematics education to help pre-service teachers increase confidence and build up a comprehensive professional identity as a mathematics educator. Part 1 explains the overarching theoretical framework for the teaching of mathematics in early childhood education, including a dedicated chapter on curricula. Part 2 includes opinion pieces to various mathematics education approaches helping students to develop various theoretical perspectives. Part 3 provides lesson plans on topics such as patterns, measurement and space and geometry, allowing students to fully engross themselves in mathematics content. Mathematics in Early Childhood Education balances theoretical perspectives with strong practical examples and teacher guidance providing pre-service educators an all-round solution to teaching mathematics in early childhood.

The Clemsons' clear and readable book takes the reader from debates about how children learn and what children know and can do when they start school; through to a discussion of how mathematics can be managed, assessed and evaluated in the school and classroom. Linking these two parts of the book is a section on the subject of mathematics itself, from which the non-specialist reader can gain a view of what mathematics is, what needs to be thought about in planning and offering a curriculum and the special dilemmas faced in teaching and learning mathematics as a subject. A bank of case studies offers an opportunity to see mathematics in action in a variety of classrooms.