Second International Symposium on Early Mathematics Education

Invited speakers

Researchers from all corners of Europe shared insights on effective approaches to early math over the two-day event.  Topics and powerpoint presentations are shown below. Video will be available soon.

Thursday, April 14,

The Building Blocks of Math: Lessons from Research
Doug Clements,Distinguished Professor of Learning and Instruction at State University of New York at Buffalo

What are the building blocks of mathematics? Clements discussed one effective approach that bases instruction on learning trajectories. To illustrate the approach, he reviewed several projects that produced and evaluated research-based mathematics curricula.
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Curious Minds as a Starting Point for Reasoning and Problem Solving
Jan de Lange, Distinguished Professor at University of Utrecht in the Netherlands

Young children often act as real researchers: they ask good questions, explore the world around them, show reasoning skills, and like to be challenged. How can we challenge them and find out what their often ‘hidden’ talents are? Professor de Lange explored ways to draw out children’s insights in math and sciences and find the connections between them.
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Early Mathematics in Chicago and the Midwest: What Should We Be Recommending?
Jie-Qi Chen, Professor at Erikson Institute
Jennifer S. McCray, Director of the Early Mathematics Education Project at Erikson Institute

Chen and McCray put early mathematics into a more local context with an overview of systems of teacher preparation in Illinois. They presented findings about early math instruction based on their large-scale survey of Chicago Public School preschool teachers. They described their current project with working teachers, highlighting program elements that have led to significantly improved learning outcomes for preschool children.
presentation » .(ppt)

Thursday, April 15

The Development of Mathematical Concepts in Russian Early Childhood Education
Oksana Igrakova, Head of Primary School Education at the Slavyansk-on-Kuban State Pedagogical Institute

Modern Russian math teaching has gone through much reform. Dr. Igrakova’s talk will described how the action-centered paradigm of Russian education has led to a transition from a curriculum-centered approach to a learner-centered approach.
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Early Mathematics Education in Finland: A Sociocultural Perspective

Kristiina Kumpulainen, Director of Information and Evaluation Services at the Finnish National Board of Education

This presentation took an up-close look at  early math in both Finnish early childhood classrooms and teacher education classrooms, viewing them as cultural sites of learning that mediate learners’ changing relationship to mathematics. Dr. Kumpulainen discussed classroom interactions and how they create opportunities for mathematics learning and identity building. She highlighted recent challenges and developmental trends in Finnish early mathematics education.
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