2-024 - From the Lab to the Field: Using Early Math Development Research to Improve Educational Practice

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Understanding the nature and development of early mathematical knowledge has been the focus of considerable research over the past 25 years. More recently, developmental researchers have sought innovative ways to translate this body of knowledge to improve math education for children. In this symposium, we will present four papers by leading research teams whose work suggests unique applications to math practices in school and at home. The first paper shows the independent contribution of repeating patterning skills in pre-kindergarten to later math development. Patterning skills are overlooked in many state standards, and the authors show how their research has implications for refining the early math curriculum. The second paper focuses on kindergartners’ understanding of numerical magnitude, a foundational concept for subsequent math learning. The authors use a classroom intervention experiment to demonstrate how instruction on key measurement concepts can promote an understanding of numerical magnitude. The third paper presents a new screener for early number sense that helps teachers identify young children who may be at-risk for math difficulties and provide targeted interventions. The screener is grounded in a conceptual framework for number learning. The authors provide an overview of this screener and highlight findings from their psychometric study of the screener. The final paper focuses on the home as an important influence on children’s early math development. The authors studied the reliability of multiple measures of parental math stimulation with a sample of preschool children, and their findings reveal the potential of promoting home math activities to improve learning.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chairs

• Alice Klein, West Ed

• Nancy Jordan, University of Delaware

Individual Presentations

• Including Repeating Patterning Skills in Early Mathematics Education - Presenting Author: Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Vanderbilt University; Non-Presenting Author: Erica L Zippert, Vanderbilt university; Non-Presenting Author: Ashli-Ann Douglas, Vanderbilt University

• Developing Numerical Magnitude Knowledge through Measurement Activities - Presenting Author: Marina Vasilyeva, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Elida V. Laski, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Aleksander Veraska, Moscow State University; Non-Presenting Author: Darya Bukhalenkova, Moscow State University

• The Screener for Early Number Sense: A Research-Based Screening Tool for Identifying Difficulties - Presenting Author: Nancy Jordan, University of Delaware; Non-Presenting Author: Alice Klein, West Ed; Non-Presenting Author: Kevin Huang, West Ed; Non-Presenting Author: Amber Beliakoff, West Ed; Non-Presenting Author: Brianna Devlin, University of Delaware

• Measuring Parental Math Stimulation for Young Children - Non-Presenting Author: Leanne Elliott, University of Pittsburgh; Non-Presenting Author: Jyothirmayi Thippana, University of Pittsburgh; Non-Presenting Author: Sarah Gehman, University of Pittsburgh; Presenting Author: Melissa Libertus, University of Pittsburgh