Beginnings Workshop

Math in Early Childhood

by Francis Wardle

In my classes at Red Rocks Community College I

always ask my students if they enjoy math. In my early
childhood classes over 95% of the students say they
dislike math; in my child psychology classes, over 90%
claim to dislike math.
One hundred percent of my early childhood students
are women; about 95% of my child psychology
students are women.
Further, when I teach a math unit in my curriculum
class I am always appalled that the only math
activities for young children that my students know
and use in their programs are counting, labeling
geometric shapes, and writing the numbers.
Why does any of this matter? It matters because more
and more of our students struggle with math; further,
it is very, very clear that the foundation of future math
ability and dispositions is a sound grounding in math
during the early years. Our children are not getting
this!

Nature versus nurture

Any discussion of math and gender in contemporary
society immediately elicits fierce debate regarding
nature (those who claim boys are hard-wired to be
able to learn math) and nurture (those who advocate
there are many things we should do to increase the
math ability of all of our students). But, from observing
the overall nature/nurture debate in the scientific
community, two things are clear:
Almost everything has a biological component
(many even argue that criminal behavior and
aggressive tendencies are biologically based); and
Almost everything can be improved by maximizing
the environment (Berger, 2006; Berk, 2006).

The latter is where we should concentrate. How can

we use the environment to maximize the mathematical abilities of all of our students? This includes
increasing parental expectations of the impact of
effort on math ability, as opposed to relying solely on
innate ability (Stevenson, Lee, & Stigler, 1986). Here
are a few suggestions. None of them, unfortunately,
are easy!

Eliminate content standards in

early childhood programs
Studies show that children who play with unit blocks
in early childhood do better in algebra in middle
school. But its important to note that the outcome of
playing in the block area is not demonstrated until
middle school! Math standards during the early years
will automatically focus on low level, rote skills:
memorization, repetition, and adult views of math
knowledge. What makes this most destructive is that
young children are operating within Piagets
preoperational stage, which means they cannot think
logically. Thus, bureaucrats creating standards and
assessment often include things that children this age
simply cannot even do.

Francis
Wardle has
been Head
Start
director,
national education
director for Childrens
World Learning Centers,
and a consultant for
Bright Horizons and
several Head Start
consulting companies.
Currently he teaches at
Red Rocks Community
College and the
University of Phoenix
(online doctorial
classes), is executive
director of the Center for
the Study of
Biracial Children
(www.csbchome.org),
and conducts PRISM
reviews for Head Start.
He has published four
textbooks, and is the
president of Colorado/
Minas Gerais Partners
of the Americas.

Meisels and Atkins-Burnett have criticized the National

Reporting System used by Head Start (2004). While
this is an assessment, not a standard, it is clear that
assessment is driving curriculum in many early
childhood programs. In fact, in one Head Start I visited
they were actually rote-teaching responses to this
assessment; in another program the entire curriculum
was developed around the Head Start Outcomes.
Standards are based on a step-wise approach to
learning, with the next step always being the objective
even if it is developmentally and otherwise
inappropriate (i.e., kindergarten entrance skills)
(Wardle, in press).

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Beginnings Workshop
Meisels and Atkins-Burnett point out that the NRS
focuses on isolated academic skills, skills not
expected until school-age, and narrow labeling and
memory skills, as opposed to underling concepts,
precepts, and structures. Finally, this assessment
encourages the use of curricula that support passive
transmission of knowledge, instead of creative and
active learning (2004). Criticism of high-stakes tests
the backbone of standards is complex. The major
problem is that these tests are based on faulty
learning theories that focus on fancy psychometric
concepts of reliability, validly, criterion reference, task
analysis, and behavioral norms, while ignoring the
critically important concepts of child development,
culture, and each childs individual and complex
learning schemas (Nitko, 2004).

One of the
critical ways
cultures differ
in this country
and around the Use a variety of ways to build a large body
of knowledge in young children
world is in
Math knowledge and dispositions are not created in a
gender role
vacuum. Math is about manipulating things: objects,
expectations
shapes, concepts, and relationships; reproducing and
and behaviors. documenting the world; and constructing, building,

and estimating. The Reggio Emilia philosophy and the

Project Approach understand this clearly (Wardle, in
press). Thus, we must provide a myriad of
opportunities for young children to have direct,
concrete experiences in the real world. What is the
value of discussing the speed of light if you dont
understand light? Seeing snow accumulate day after
day is a real way to understanding increase in
quantity. Carrying a large boulder teaches about
mass; swinging on a rope about force, angles, and
speed. Field trips, extensive classroom projects, exploration in nature (Friedman, 2007), extensive use of
the playground, observing the weather, etc., must all
be central to our math curricula (Wardle, 2003).

Focus on play, exploration, and

constructive approaches to learning math
Homer Simpson would call this the Doh! for early
childhood experts! But, with the current focus on
discreet academic outcomes and pushed-down
curricula, we are losing sight of this mantra. We have
a wealth of scholarship that illustrates what math
education should look like at the preoperational age
(Kamii, 1985; Piaget & Inhelder, 1958). We must
return to this approach: play, discovery, manipulation,
constructing knowledge through interacting with the
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March/April 2007

environment, and developing a positive disposition to

ordering, patterning, predicting, estimating, figuring
out a system, etc. (NCTM 2000). A positive disposition
towards math must be developed during the early
years.

Empower minority communities

We also must explore issues of sexism, including in
minority communities. The other day I was enjoying a
family picnic and observed a seven-year-old girl
climbing a tree. Her African American mother
immediately told her in no uncertain terms to climb
down. I good humorously inquired, Whats wrong with
her climbing a tree? to which her mother replied,
Girls dont do that! One of the critical ways cultures
differ in this country and around the world is in gender
role expectations and behaviors. While respecting
these cultural differences, we must find ways to
enable all children to become successful in math
during the early years, regardless of their sex and
ethnicity. We must passionately counteract the
stereotypes that only white and Asian boys can be
good at math. There are some excellent math and
engineering organizations for female, minority high
school students, but this is often too late.
A good friend of mine, George Brantley, runs a
program for young, gifted African American children.
He related to me that he believed once he built his
program they (parents of gifted children) would
come. But, to his surprise, they did not. It seems
that minority parents have little problem allowing the
system to identify their children with a special need or
disability he commented, but they dont want their
children singled out as being gifted!(Wardle, 2003).
Similarly, the mother of a gifted minority child moved
him to a university-based, predominantly white
program because his Head Start would not adapt to
meet the needs of her gifted son.

Explore ways to address

gender stereotypes in the classroom
Interestingly, many of my early childhood students
have often asked me, What can I do about a boy who
only wants to play in the block area? But they never
ask me, What can I do with girls who only want to
play in the housekeeping area? There is considerable
evidence that girls spend more time in art, dramatic
play, and literacy activities in early childhood than they
do in science and math activities (Sanders, 2002;

Beginnings Workshop
Wardle, 1991). This is partly because women teachers
are more comfortable in these activities. We must find
ways to encourage all children in our programs to
engage in a variety of activities literacy, dramatic
play, physical activities and math and science! And I
dont mean counting activities or work sheets; I mean
the kind of activities that we know develop a solid
foundation for later math success (NCMT, 2000).

Teach prospective early childhood

teachers how to teach math
to young children
All colleges offer basic math classes. And the teachers
are excellent at teaching adults, but they know
nothing about teaching math to young children. In our
community college we teach emergent literacy, the
arts in the curriculum, special needs, and occasionally
music and physical movement classes. But we dont
teach how to teach math to young children. It is
particularly critical that we prepare early childhood
teachers including future elementary teachers to
teach math to preoperational children, because they
do not think in traditional mathematical ways.

Pay early childhood teachers and

caregivers equal to K-12 teachers
Three realities today require that we move as quickly
as possible to place early childhood teachers and
caregivers on the same salary and benefit scale as
their K-12 counterparts: 1) the accumulated brain
research unequivocally documents the critical
importance of the early years (0-8) to future school
success, and the central role of human interactions in
optimum brain development (Shore, 1997; Lally,
1998). If we believe this to be true, we must then pay
staff who have such an important task; 2) Gronlund
(2006) points out that as early childhood standards
(and assessments for these standards) have
proliferated, we have experienced considerable
misuse of these instruments because teachers are
not adequately trained and prepared in these areas;
and 3) in many public school buildings Head Start and
state-funded early childhood programs operate sideby-side with the traditional K-12 programs. However, in
almost every case the early childhood professionals
are paid less than their K-12 counterparts. This results
in lack of respect from K-12 teachers, parents, and
from within the early childhood profession.

Recruit more men into early childhood

This topic has been covered by many authors
(Cunningham & Dorsey, 2004; Fagan, 1996;
Neugebauer, 1999; Sanders, 2002; Sargent, 2002;
Wardle, 2004). It wont go away! Added to the many
common reasons for including men in our programs is
the increasing evidence that not only do men and
women provide different kinds of stimulation and
interactions with young children, but that young
children seek out different interactions from men than
from women. Women tend to provide support, nurturing, comfort, and basic needs; men provide play,
stimulation, and excitement (Cohen, 1998; Lamb,
2000; Parke, 1996). Our children need both!

Conclusion
In many cases math is the forgotten discipline in
early childhood programs. Because a solid math
background is critical for so many well-paying careers,
this is a situation that must be addressed. It is
particularly a concern for children who tend not to do
well in math: girls and minorities (except Asian boys).
A concentrated effort must be made to rectify this
deplorable situation.

References
Berger, K. S. (2006). The developing person. Through
childhood and adolescence (7th ed). New York: Worth.
Berk, L. E. (2006). Child development. (7th ed). Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.

It is particularly
critical that we
prepare early
childhood
teachers
including future
elementary
teachers to
teach math to
preoperational
children,
because they
do not think in
traditional
mathematical
ways.

Cohen, T. F. (1993). What do fathers provide? In J.C.

Hood (Ed.), Men, work and family. Newbury Park, CA:
Sage.
Cunningham, B., & Dorsey, B. (2004). Out of sight but not
out of mind: The harmful absence of men. Exchange,
165, 4243.
Fagan, J. (1996). Principles for developing male involvement programs in early childhood settings: A personal
experience. Young Children, 51 (4) 6471.
Freidman, D. (2007, January 5th). Should children care
about nature? Summary of Working Forum on Nature
Education for Young Children.
ExchangeEveryDay. [email protected]
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Beginnings Workshop

In many cases
math is the
forgotten
discipline in
early childhood
programs.

Gronlund, G. (2006). Make early learning standards come

alive. Connecting your practice and curriculum to state
guidelines. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1958). The growth of logical

thinking from childhood to adolescence. New York: Basic
Books.

Kamii, C. (1985). Young children reinvent arithmetic.

New York: Teachers College Press.

Sanders, K. (2002). Viewpoint: Men dont care? Young

Children, 57 (6), 4448.

Lally, J. R. (1998). Brain research, infant learning, and

child care curriculum. Exchange, 121, 47-48.

Sargent, P. (2002). Under the glass: Conversations with

men in early childhood education. Young Children, 57 (6),
2230

Lamb, M. E. (2000). Research on father involvement: A

historical overview. In E. H. Peters, G. W. Peterson,
S. K. Steinmetz, & E. D. Day (Eds.), Fatherhood: Research
interventions and policies. New York: Haworth.
Meisels, S. J., & Atkins-Burnett, S. (2004). The Head Start
National Reporting System. Children and Families, XV111
(1) 32-35.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000).
Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston,
VA: Author.
Neugebaurer, R. (1999). Recruiting and retaining men in
your center. In Inside Child Care. Trend Report, 151154.
Redmond, WA.
Nitko, A. J. (2004) Educational assessment of students
(4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the brain. New insights into

early development. New York: Families and Work Institute.
Stevenson, H. W., Lee, S., & Stigler, J. W. (1986).
Mathematic achievement in Chinese, Japanese, and
American children. Science, 231, 693-699.
Wardle, F. (1991, May/June). Are we short-changing boys?
Exchange, 79, 4851.
Wardle, F. (2003). Introduction to early childhood
education: A multidimensional approach to child-centered
care and learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Wardle, F. (2004, August/Sept.). Men in early childhood:
Fathers and teachers. Early Childhood News, 34-42.
Wardle, F. (In press) Approaches to early childhood: Early
childhood philosophies. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Parke, R. D. (1996). Fatherhood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard

University Press.

Using Beginnings Workshop

to Train Teachers
by Kay Albrecht

Ouch!: Wardle identifies gender stereotypes as a big hurdle for early childhood teachers
(particularly female ones) to overcome. Explore how comfortable teachers are with math and
science as compared to dramatic play and literacy. To do this, set up some meaningful math
and science activities for teachers to explore during a staff meeting. After the exploration,
discuss comfort levels, applications, and seek to uncover subtle biases. Talk candidly about
what you discover during this conversation. Then, explore ways to make changes.
Creative and active math learning: The challenge is to plan and implement meaningful,
active, and creative math activities that embrace the way preoperational children think.
Start with the basics of understanding what the preoperational stage as proposed by Piaget
is. Get the book The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence (Piaget &
Inhelder, 1958, New York: Basic Books) if you dont know or look in any child development
text book for a summary. Then, take the list on p. 56 (manipulating things; reproducing and
documenting the world; and constructing, building, and estimating), and start brainstorming
ideas and looking in resource books for suggestions.
Knowledge is power: If you and your staff need to know more, find some of the references
and tackle them even if they look too hard. Use a reading club format to get teachers
interested and on board.

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