Towards powerful early math instruction: Designing materials to improve (future) preschool teachers’ and preschoolers’ number and patterning competencies.

Preschoolers’ mathematical competencies are important predictors for academic achievement in primary and secondary education and socio-economic status in adulthood. Cumulative evidence indicates that preschool teachers do not systematically stimulate preschoolers’ acquisition of early number and patterning competencies, due to limitations both in the availability of effective research-based materials and in teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in these domains. Following a design-based research methodology, this C3 project will address these limitations by designing and implementing (a) effective research-based instructional materials to enhance preschoolers’ early number and patterning competencies, and (b) a research-based PCK guide for (future) preschool teachers focusing on the developmental trajectories and effective instructional strategies in these domains, complemented with a continuous professional development program.

Keywords:Early math, Preschool, Instructional materials, Pedagogical content knowledge, Teacher guide

Disciplines:Mathematics and numeracy curriculum and pedagogics, Teacher education and professional development of educators