Presentation given on 10/22/14 for Penn Foster's Professional Development Fair. Creating Early Math Games that Work! Describing early math research about linear board games, subitizing and the approximate number system, and spatial learning.
9. Research shows that early math skills
are just as predictive, and possibly
more predictive, of later academic
success than early literacy skills.
And yet most preschool classrooms
devote much more time to literacy
than to math.
Duncan, G.J., Dowsett, C.J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A.C., Klebanov, P., Pagani, L.S.,
Feinstein, L., Engel, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Sexton, H., Duckworth, K., and Japel, C. (2007). School
readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6).
10. Why early math games?
Early math isn't about worksheets
or flashcards.
Games are effective and fun!
11. Researchers found that the more
board games children played, the
better they performed on various
early math tasks.
What types of math games?
Ramani GB and Siegler RS. 2008. Promoting broad and stable improvements in low-income
children’s numerical knowledge through playing with number board games. Child Development
79(2):375-394 - See more at: http://www.parentingscience.com/preschool-board-game-math.
html#sthash.xvbOeAdk.dpuf
15. Moving from logarithmic
to linear thinking.
The Great Race Game
Picture from the research article - http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/RamaniSiegHitti-12JEP.pdf.
16. Moving from logarithmic
to linear thinking.
The Great Race Game
Specifics...
* number, not color based
* straight, not circular track
Siegler, R. S. & Ramani, G. B. (2009). Playing linear number board games - but not circular ones -
improves low-income preschoolers’ numerical understanding. Journal of Educational Psychology,
101, 545-560.
17. Moving from logarithmic
to linear thinking.
The Great Race Game
More Specifics...
* How you count matters.
* Make sure to 'count on'
Laski EV and Siegler RS. 2014. Learning from number board games: You learn what you encode.
Dev Psychol. 50(3):853-64. - See more at: http://www.parentingscience.com/preschool-math-games.
html#sthash.G1eVH9KD.dpuf
18. Moving from logarithmic
to linear thinking.
The Great Race Game
You can create in your classroom -
* Individualize for each student
and their interests
* Choose topic based on
curriculum theme
Laski EV and Siegler RS. 2014. Learning from number board games: You learn what you encode.
Dev Psychol. 50(3):853-64. - See more at: http://www.parentingscience.com/preschool-math-games.
html#sthash.G1eVH9KD.dpuf
19. Subitizing
& the Approximate Number System
Daniel C. Hyde, Saeeda Khanum, Elizabeth S. Spelke. Brief non-symbolic, approximate number
practice enhances subsequent exact symbolic arithmetic in children. Cognition, 2014; 131 (1): 92
DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.12.007
20. Subitizing
& the Approximate Number System
Daniel C. Hyde, Saeeda Khanum, Elizabeth S. Spelke. Brief non-symbolic, approximate number
practice enhances subsequent exact symbolic arithmetic in children. Cognition, 2014; 131 (1): 92
DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.12.007
21. Subitizing
& the Approximate Number System
* saying how many
after a quick showing
* comparing two quantities
(Without Counting!)
Daniel C. Hyde, Saeeda Khanum, Elizabeth S. Spelke. Brief non-symbolic, approximate number
practice enhances subsequent exact symbolic arithmetic in children. Cognition, 2014; 131 (1): 92
DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.12.007
22. Subitizing
& the Approximate Number System
In the classroom...
* dots on paper plates
* objects hidden by cloth
Try it yourself...
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/20
08/09/15/science/20080915_NUMBE
R_SENSE_GRAPHIC.html
23. Spatial Training
Yi Ling Cheng, Kelly S. Mix. Spatial Training Improves Children's Mathematics Ability. Journal of
Cognition and Development, 2012; 120919075341007 DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2012.725186
24. Spatial Training
Blocks and
Tangram Shapes
Pictures from and online tangram game available at http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/
tanagram-game/
25. Spatial Training
Blocks and
Tangram Shapes
* Mental rotation
* Fitting blocks into shapes
* Playing with puzzles
Yi Ling Cheng, Kelly S. Mix. Spatial Training Improves Children's Mathematics Ability. Journal of
Cognition and Development, 2012; 120919075341007 DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2012.725186
26. Spatial Training
Using spatial language
(in, on, above, etc)
is also very important!
Pruden SM, Levine SC and Huttenlocher J. 2011. Children's spatial thinking: Does talk about the
aptial world matter? Developmental Science (14): 1417-1430. - See more at:
http://www.parentingscience.com/spatial-intelligence.html#sthash.8R3JvZfG.dpuf
27. Let's Create!
How can you use these ideas
in your classroom this week?
How can kids bring the games
home to play with parents?
28. Let's Create!
* Think about a theme
(curriculum topic,
student interest, etc)
* Choose a type of game
(linear race game, subitizing & ANS,
spatial training, or your own idea!)
30. Conclusion
* I used to think... Now I think...
* What new idea or activity
are you going to use
in your classroom next week?
31. More Resources
* PBS Kids -
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/math/games/preschool-* Math at Play -
http://blog.mathatplay.org/tag/board-game/
* NCTM Math Games Book -
http://www.nctm.org/catalog/product.aspx?ID=14615
32. Contact:
Teresa Gonczy
teresaeg@gmail.com
Twitter @earlymath
Slides will be available
on my blog at
www.teresaeg.com/blog