Qualities in mathematical discourses in kindergartens

In this study we investigated qualities of the mathematical discourse in four kindergarten classes in which kindergarten teachers and 5-year-old children engaged in mathematical learning activities. We analysed differences in the mathematical discourses in two experimental kindergarten classes and two control kindergarten classes, in a research and development project. The overarching research question guiding our study was as follows: what characterises the mathematical discourse unfolding in kindergarten classes? In our study we drew on the theoretical framework Mathematical Discourse in Instruction coined by Adler and Ronda, as we quantified the collected qualitative data. Our analyses identified significant characteristics of mathematical discourse with respect to the children’s opportunities to contribute with ideas and arguments. The discourse in the kindergartens differed both with respect to the extent and nature of verbal utterances among the participants, as well as the mathematical engagement nurtured amongst the children. Moreover, the mathematical discourse within the experimental kindergarten classes, to a greater extent than that in the control kindergarten classes, initiated opportunities for the participating children’s mathematical learning.publishedVersio

Kindergarten teachers’ accounts of their developing mathematical practice

Published version of an article in the journal: ZDM. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11858-012-0422-1This study explores kindergarten teachers’ accounts of their developing mathematical practice in the context of their participation in a developmental research project. Observations and interviews were analysed to elaborate the accounts as regards orchestrating mathematical activities in the kindergarten. A co-learning agreement was established as collaboration between the kindergarten teachers and researchers. The study reveals that the kindergarten teachers argue that they have been empowered in developing an inquiry stance towards mathematics and mathematical activities. Taking an inquiry stance, they claim, has increased their awareness of the mathematics involved in activities, and enabled them to be more explicit when communicating mathematical ideas to children. An adjusted didactic triangle within the kindergarten setting is proposed based on these results

Kindergarten teachers’ orchestration of mathematical activities afforded by technology: agency and mediation

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The Effects of a Structured Curriculum on Preschool Effectiveness: A Field Experiment

Abstract: This study tests an intervention that introduces a structured curriculum for five-year-olds into the universal preschool context of Norway, where the business as usual is an unstructured curriculum. We conduct a field experiment with 691 five-year-olds in 71 preschools and measure treatment impacts on children’s development in mathematics, language, and executive functioning. The nine-month intervention has effects on child development at post-intervention and the effects persist one year following the end of the treatment. The effects are mainly driven by the preschools identified as low-quality at baseline, indicating that a structured curriculum can reduce inequality in early childhood learning environments.publishedVersio

The Effects of a Structured Curriculum on Preschool Effectiveness: A Field Experiment

Abstract: This study tests an intervention that introduces a structured curriculum for five-year-olds into the universal preschool context of Norway, where the business as usual is an unstructured curriculum. We conduct a field experiment with 691 five-year-olds in 71 preschools and measure treatment impacts on children’s development in mathematics, language, and executive functioning. The nine-month intervention has effects on child development at post-intervention and the effects persist one year following the end of the treatment. The effects are mainly driven by the preschools identified as low-quality at baseline, indicating that a structured curriculum can reduce inequality in early childhood learning environments.publishedVersio

Qualities in mathematical discourses in kindergartens

In this study we investigated qualities of the mathematical discourse in four kindergarten classes in which kindergarten teachers and 5-year-old children engaged in mathematical learning activities. We analysed differences in the mathematical discourses in two experimental kindergarten classes and two control kindergarten classes, in a research and development project. The overarching research question guiding our study was as follows: what characterises the mathematical discourse unfolding in kindergarten classes? In our study we drew on the theoretical framework Mathematical Discourse in Instruction coined by Adler and Ronda, as we quantified the collected qualitative data. Our analyses identified significant characteristics of mathematical discourse with respect to the children’s opportunities to contribute with ideas and arguments. The discourse in the kindergartens differed both with respect to the extent and nature of verbal utterances among the participants, as well as the mathematical engagement nurtured amongst the children. Moreover, the mathematical discourse within the experimental kindergarten classes, to a greater extent than that in the control kindergarten classes, initiated opportunities for the participating children’s mathematical learning

Teachers and researchers inquiring into mathematics teaching and learning : the case of linear functions

The teachers in this study are participants in the LCM1- (Learning Communities in Mathematics) project run at Agder University College. The project emphasises the development of communities of teachers and researchers focused on inquiry in mathematics and teaching. This paper deals with a well-planned lesson in an eleventh grade class in a Norwegian upper secondary school. We will present data that illustrate how the teachers intervened to reach certain goals that had been identified through the planning process. These interventions identified discourses, which showed that there was a discrepancy between how the teachers interpreted and used a certain word for a mathematical concept and how the students interpreted the same word. Our findings illuminate common challenges faced when trying to build a community of inquiry in the classroom.Upprättat; 2007; 20070507 (ysko

Patterning as a Mathematical Activity: An Analysis of Young Children’s Strategies When Working with Repeating Patterns

Lüken M. Patterning as a Mathematical Activity: An Analysis of Young Children’s Strategies When Working with Repeating Patterns. In: Carlsen M, Erfjord I, Hundeland PS, eds. Mathematics Education in the Early Years. Cham: Springer; 2020: 79-92.In both educational and research settings on repeating patterns, the focus seems to be put more on the product (i.e., the correct solution) than on the process (i.e., the strategies children employ in solving a patterning task). This chapter explores different patterning strategies and strategy use in early childhood and reflects on selected patterning tasks from a strategy point of view. One hundred and fifty-nine 3- to 5-year-old children were interviewed while working on various patterning tasks, and their strategies were coded into five strategy categories and quantified. Results show that young children use a variety of different patterning strategies, with the older children using more advanced strategies more often. When considering the mathematical structure of repeating patterns, it becomes apparent that most young children approach patterning activities without referring to or using the unit of repeat