This groundbreaking book looks at the development of mathematical thinking in infants and toddlers, with an emphasis on the earliest stage, from zero to three, when mathematical thinking and problem solving first emerge as natural instincts. The text explores the four precursor math concepts--attribute, comparison, change, and pattern--with an…

The period from adolescence through young adulthood is one of great promise and vulnerability. As teenagers approach maturity, they must develop and apply the skills and habits necessary to navigate adulthood and compete in an ever more technological and globalized world. But as parents and researchers have long known, there is a crucial dichotomy…

The impulse to investigate the natural world is deeply rooted in our earliest childhood experiences. This notion has long guided researchers to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of scientific reasoning in children. Until recently, however, research in cognitive development and education followed largely independent…

This book is a compilation of recent research on the development of multiplicative concepts. The sections and chapters are: (1) Theoretical Approaches: "Children's Multiplying Schemes" (L. Steffe), "Multiplicative Conceptual Field: What and Why?" (G. Vergnaud), "Extending the Meaning of Multiplication and Division" (B. Greer); (2) The Role of the…

This book represents a compilation of the views and ideas of the late Hans Freudenthal, representing his last major contribution to the field of mathematics education. Rather than a presentation of new views, Freudenthal selected and streamlined old ideas, many gathered from his lectures in China, and formed a review of questions and issues in…

This volume includes reports of six studies of the thought processes of children aged four through eight. In the first paper Steffe and Smock outline a model for learning and teaching mathematics. Six reports on empirical studies are then presented in five areas of mathematics learning: (1) equivalence and order relations; (2) classification and…

This is volume 5 in the series of translations of books from the Soviet literature on research in the psychology of mathematics instruction and on teaching methods influenced by the research. The heart of this volume is the need to establish a continuity between sensory perceptions and conceptual development as children progress from work in…

This book has a two-fold purpose. First, it was intended as a description of the development and testing of a primary school fraction program, presently in practice. This project seeks to develop a realistic alternative to the teaching and learning of fractions. The second purpose was to produce a theory on the teaching and learning of fractions…

This is volume 4 of the series of translations of books from the Soviet literature on research in the psychology of mathematics instruction and on teaching methods influenced by the research. The introduction to this English language translation highlights the fact that significant advances have been made in the understanding of both the…

This document is a collection of three papers originally prepared as part of a series of public lectures presented by the Faculty of Education at the University of Rhodesia. Each paper stresses the vital need to examine assumptions made about the pupil in school to see whether provisions made for him are really in accordance with his present and…

This book grew out of a conference sponsored by the Educational Testing Service and the University of Wisconsin's National Center for Research in Mathematical Science Education that focused on assessment issues in mathematics education. The book's 16 chapters focus on clarifying and articulating the goals of assessment and instruction. They are…

This illustrated booklet, designed for parents of preschool children, suggests informal learning activities which have the potential to enhance the social, emotional, cognitive, motor, and language development of preschool children. Three categories of games and activities are presented: (1) language games, (2) mathematical concept games, and (3)…

This book is for teachers of children in preschool through grade 4. It is designed to help teachers make important decisions about the mathematics curriculum and give them some effective ways to help children attain the mathematical power needed for everyday use and for future careers. Relevant research in each chapter provides a framework and…

This volume examines the teaching of statistics in the whole range of education, but concentrates on primary and secondary schools. It is based upon selected topics from the Second International Congress on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS 2), convened in Canada in August 1986. The contents of this volume divide broadly into four parts: statistics in…

This book is an essential reference on research in early childhood education not only in the United States but throughout the world. It provides a comprehensive overview of important contemporary issues and the information necessary to make judgments about these issues. The field has changed significantly since the publication of the first edition…