SUMMARY:

STRATEGY TEACHING RECOMMENDATION:

Recommendation 4: Teach Children To View And Describe Their World

Mathematically:

 Encourage children to use informal methods to represent math concepts,

processes, and solutions.
 Help children link formal math vocabulary, symbols, and procedures to their
informal knowledge or experiences.
 Use open-ended questions to prompt children to apply their math knowledge.
 Encourage children to recognize and talk about math in everyday situations.
Focuses on teaching children to view their world mathematically. The panel
believes children should begin by using informal methods to represent math
concepts and then learn to link those concepts to formal math vocabulary and
symbols (such as the word plus and its symbol, +). Teachers can use open-ended
questions and math conversation as a way of helping children to recognize math in
everyday situations. Teach children to view and describe their world
mathematically has minimal evidence.
Teachers can encourage children to look for opportunities to describe math ideas
in the world around them, gradually moving from informal representations and
language to formal representations and math vocabulary as children’s
understanding grows. At first, children should use informal tools such as their
fingers, tally marks, or other concrete objects to represent math ideas. For
example, children can be encouraged to use blocks to model and solve simple
addition problems (e.g., “If I have two blocks, and I add three more, how many
blocks do I have?”).
Summary of evidence: Minimal Evidence:
The panel concluded that the body of evidence assessed in relation to
Recommendation 4 was promising. However, it was not sufficient to warrant a
moderate evidence rating as the panel could not attribute the effects solely to
Recommendation 4 for two reasons. First, the examined interventions were multi-
component interventions incorporating elements of other recommendations in the
guide. Second, in some studies there was a lack of clarity regarding the instruction
the intervention and comparison groups received. Based on its expertise and the
effects of interventions that include efforts to teach children to view and describe
their world mathematically, the panel believes the studies generally support this
recommendation despite the limitations to the body of evidence.
How to carry out this recommendation:
1. Encourage children to use informal methods to represent math concepts,
processes, and solutions:
Using informal representations:
Concept: Informal Teaching The
Representation: Concept:
Whole number. “Three”. Collections of blocks,
dots, tally marks,
fingers, or other
countable objects can
represent numerals. For
example, when playing
a game, use blocks to
represent children’s
scores so everyone can
track each player’s
score.
Equal. “Same number as” or Provide opportunities for
“same as”. children to begin to
recognize that
collections that have the
same number when
counted are equal. For
example, a collection of
four plates is the same
number as a collection
of four cups.
Unequal. “More than” or “fewer Point out that a
than”. collection is more (or
fewer) than another if it
requires a longer (or
shorter) count. For
example, seven is more
than six because it
requires counting
beyond six.
Addition. “And” or “more”. Start with a collection
and add more items to
make it larger. For
example, start with three
crayons and add one
more. Then ask, “How
many?”.
Subtraction. “Take away” or “fewer”. Start with a collection and
take away some items to
make it smaller. For
example, start with three
crayons and take away
one. Then ask, “How
many?”.
2. Help children link formal math vocabulary, symbols, and procedures
to their informal knowledge or experiences:

Symbol: Concept: Lesson:

Numerals. Counting. Have children count
and record the number
of children in
attendance each day.
+, -. Operations. Have children solve
problems involving
adding or subtracting
with leaves collected
from the playground.
=. Equal. Show the class four
pennies. Next, show
three pennies, verbally
label them (“I have one,
two, three pennies”),
and put them in a can.
Then, show one more
penny, verbally label it
(“I have one more
penny”), and put it in
the can. Ask the class,
“Are three pennies and
one more penny the
same number as four
pennies?”.
< , >. Unequal. Show the class five
pennies, verbally label
them, and put them in a
can. Next, show four
pennies, verbally label
them, and put them in a
different can. Ask the
class, “Which can has
more? Which can has
fewer?”.
3. Use open-ended questions to prompt children to apply their math
knowledge:
Examples of open-ended questions:

How are these the same/different?.

What can you use (in the block area) to make a pattern?.
What patterns do you see (on the seashells in the science center)?.
How could we change this pattern to make a new one?.
How can we find out who is taller or shorter?.
What can we use to find out…?.
What can we do to find out who has more/fewer?.
How else can you show it?.
How does it show what we know?.

4. Encourage children to recognize and talk about math in everyday

situations:
Potential roadblocks and solutions:
Roadblock 4.1: I’m not sure what types of open-ended questions are most
effective for getting young children to think mathematically.
Suggested Approach: Teachers can start a lesson with “what do you
think?” or “how can we find an answer?”. When children give an answer,
teachers might ask, “how did you figure that out?” or “show me how you did
that.” If children share a strategy, teachers might also ask, “is there another
way to solve that problem?” or “what would happen if I changed…?”.
Asking children to compare and contrast also helps them clarify their ideas
(“how are these [shapes, numbers, patterns, measuring] tools alike or
different?”). These questions are appropriate for any math content area.