Background and Aims: There is currently a dearth of tools to assess parents' use of effective interactive strategies for supporting early mathematics learning. One potential such strategy is sustained shared thinking. This study therefore constructed and validated a scale for measuring parents' use of sustained shared thinking during joint…

Purpose: Being "literate" is well established as key to active civic participation, right from the earliest years of life. Young children's natural curiosity and motivation to understand the world and their places within it through playful explorations offers rich opportunities for learning. Reported here are findings from a STEAM…

The idea of using fingers as a key component in arithmetic development has received a great deal of support, much of which is based on neuroscientific evidence. However, this body of work pays limited attention to how fingers are used and possible different outcomes in arithmetic problem solving. The aim of our paper, based on an analysis of 126…

An important aspect of bringing innovation to education is supporting children's own innovative thinking. Teachers are finding that escape room activities can provoke children's wonder and determination to pursue their curiosity, which builds a foundation for innovators of the future.

As educators and business people consider what children need to be successful in this rapidly changing society, creative and critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and persistence are recognized as the most important skills for success in education and the workforce. Among these, creative thinking is referred to most…

Increased recognition of the importance of computational thinking as a core skill for all students has led many states to adopt and implement computer science standards, with a focus on teaching computational thinking. Consequently, there is an increased need to prepare educators that are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and instructional…

Research has shown that once a potential solution to a problem has settled into one's mind, it can be difficult to break from the original idea and move in a different direction (Cardoso & BadkeSchaub, 2009; Jansson & Smith, 1991). When designers are given examples (whether as models, photographs, sketches, or drawings), they often fixate…

The authors describe activities designed to teach the concept of weight to five and six year old children, using the imaginary 'Measureland' and its brand-new ride 'The Zipline Balancer'. They explore how they addressed misconceptions and insights are provided into the evolving measurement understandings of young children.

Children with autism spectrum disorder may experience different levels of social and behavior deficits in the early elementary years. Behavioral deficits may impact the development of appropriate interpersonal problem-solving skills and peer acceptance, supporting the need for instructional support. This column discusses the implementation of a…

From a Marxian/Vygotskian perspective, learning is social in origin and it happens in the presence of others that are more knowledgeable. Extending this view to the learning of mathematics, such learning also becomes inseparable from the presence of others (people and artefacts). Researchers over decades have studied different interactions to see…

While the general planning advice offered to mathematics teachers seems to be to start with simple examples and build complexity progressively, the research reported in this article is a contribution to the body of literature that argues the reverse. That is, posing of appropriately complex tasks may actually prompt the use of more sophisticated…

In Canada, as in other Western countries, solving word problems has comprised an important part of mathematics curricula. Traditionally, arithmetic thinking has largely been privileged as the main strategy for solving word problems at the elementary level, thus postponing the introduction of algebraic thinking to the secondary school. Drawing on…

The Approximate Number System (ANS) supports basic arithmetic computation in early childhood, but it is unclear whether the ANS also supports the more complex computations introduced later in formal education. "Solving for x" in addend-unknown problems is notoriously difficult for children, who often struggle with these types of problems…

Young children naturally engage in mathematics as they play and explore. Although many early childhood educators are aware that children are frequently interacting with mathematical ideas, a certain level of knowledge and awareness is required to identify and highlight the mathematics that children are engaging in and to create opportunities for…

During early childhood, practitioners and family members are often tasked with determining optimal approaches to support social skill development in young children with developmental disabilities in inclusive and self-contained settings. Eight different evidence based approaches are highlighted (social narratives, scripting, pivotal response…