Should you take the $1,000 discount or the 2.5% interest rate on that new car? Understanding math is not only an important skill for everyday life decisions, but it can make a big difference in the quality of one's life. Garrison Keiller said, "The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math". We can help set the foundation in early childhood for the development of positive attitudes about math, the acquisition of good skills, and the confidence to get the information needed to solve math problems. Good teaching is the solution. Here are some terrific resources towards that end.
Background/General Information
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
These principles and standards provide an excellent perspective on what young children (Pre-K - Grade 2) can and should learn, as well as appropriate and effective strategies for teaching. They include areas such as, number & operations, geometry, algebraic thinking, measurement, problem-solving, data collection, communication, and more.
standards.nctm.org/document/chapter4/index.htm
Early Childhood: Where Learning Begins - Mathematics
Mathematical Activities for Parents and their 2- to 5-year-old children.
This Department of Education publication gives brief definitions of key mathematical concepts and ways to promote learning in them for young children. The areas include: problem solving, reasoning, patterns and relationships, fractions, estimation and more.
www.ed.gov/pubs/EarlyMath/
Ed Week Article: "Experts Say Young Children Need More Math"
Article by Linda Jacobson appeared September 26, 2001. Includes statements by Marilou Hyson, Director of Professional Development for NAEYC.
www.edweek.org/ew/newstory.cfm?slug=04math.h21
Activities and Resources for Teaching Math
Figure This: Math Challenges for Families
Visually pleasing and fun math activities in a variety of math areas.
www.figurethis.org/index40.htm
Ask ERIC Lesson Plans
Each area of math has a list of lesson plans and the grade/age each lesson is appropriate for.
ericir.syr.edu/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Mathematics/
Numbertime and Megamaths
British Broadcasting system sites to help young children develop number sense and basic geometry skills. The "Teachers and Parents" link provides additional information about the activities.
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime
www.bbc.co.uk/education/megamaths
Cool Math 4 Kids
A variety of activities categorized by subject area and a 3-5 section. A bit over-stimulating, but the activities themselves are good.
www.coolmath4kids.com/
Math Anxiety - Overcoming your own and how not pass it on to children
Coping with Math Anxiety
Many teachers of young children feel anxious about their own math skills and feel negatively about math. This article uses humor, quotes, and examples to help you identify the causes of and solutions for math anxiety.
www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/anxiety/index.asp
Math Anxiety
Tips and resources for overcoming math anxiety. Helps you understand how bad teaching leads so many people to have math anxiety. Check out the link "The 7 M's of Math (Myths, Memory, Models, Metaphor, Meta Learning, Multimedia, Miracles)
www.mathmatters.net/mathanx.htm
Resources for Understanding Math (for Adults)
Platonic Realms
This is a colorful, fun web site for all things math, including an interactive encyclopedia, articles, visuals, quotes, humor, and puzzles.
www.mathacademy.com/pr/index.asp
What is Good Math?
Provides examples of how math is useful and helpful in everyday activities.
www.richmond.edu/academics/a&s/education/projects/webunits/math/home.htm
Explore Math
Clear explanations of math concepts including interactive and animated visual examples. Also includes current articles in the news that are related to math.
www.exploremath.com
Staff Favorite Web Site of the Month
Early Childhood Education on Line Web Site (ECEOL-L)
From the University of Maine, an amazingly thorough collection of well-organized web links to just about everything related to early childhood education, from art activity ideas to a web site evaluation tool for educators
www.ume.maine.edu/ECEOL-L/website.html
Quote of the Month
"Poor teaching leads to the inevitable idea that the subject (mathematics) is only adapted to peculiar minds, when it is the one universal science and the one whose … ground rules are taught us almost in infancy and reappear in the motions of the universe."
