Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection

Su-Chiao Wu; Fou-Lai Lin

doi:10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

Full Text (PDF)

Su-Chiao Wu ¹ ^* , Fou-Lai Lin ²

More Detail

¹ National Chiayi University, TAIWAN² National Taiwan Normal University, TAIWAN^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

A group of teacher educators and practitioners in mathematics education and early childhood education generalized a set of inquiry-based mathematics models for Taiwanese young children of ages 3-6 and designed a series of inquiry-based mathematics curriculum tasks in cultivate the children’s diverse mathematical concepts and mathematical power. In this paper, we mapped the blueprint of the whole curriculum with a brief section of “number” activities. We also compared this inquiry-based curriculum and instruction with the traditional mathematics teaching process in practical settings through a teaching experiment process, in which young children’s mathematical learning performances were collected and analyzed as empirical evidence. Reflecting on the outcomes of this comparison, we presented exploratory findings of teaching experiments, and proposed relevant discussion for future works.

Keywords

curriculum design
early childhood mathematical learning
inquiry-based

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 12, Issue 4, April 2016, 843-860

https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

Publication date: 17 Jun 2016

Article Views: 4827

Article Downloads: 9118

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Antell, S. E., & Keating, D. P. (1983). Perception of numerical invariance in neonates. Child Development, 54, 695-701
Baroody A. J. (1987). Children’s mathematical thinking: A developmental framework for preschool, primary, and social education teachers. New York: Teachers College.
Bybee, R. W. (1997). Achieving scientific literacy: From purposes to practices. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Bybee, R. W., Taylor, J. A., Gardner, A., Van Scotter, P., Powell, J. C., Westbrook, A., & Landes, N. (2006). The BSCS 5e instructional model: Origins and effectiveness. Colorado Springs, CO: A Report Prepared for the Office of Science Education, National Institutes of Health.
Chang, Y. L., & Wu, H. H. (2015). A case study of increasing vocational high school teachers practices in designing interdisciplinary use of scientific inquiry in curriculum design. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education, 11(1), 37-51.
Clements, D. H. (2007). Curriculum research: Toward a framework for ‘research-based curricula’. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 38, 35-70.
Clements, D., & Conference Working Group (2004). Part one: Major themes and recommendations. In D. H. Clements, J. Sarama, & A. M. DiBiase (Eds.), Engaging young children in mathematics education (pp. 1-72). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2007). Effects of a preschool mathematics curriculum: summative research on the Building Blocks project. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 38, 136-163.
Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., & DiBiase, A. M. (2002). Preschool and kindergarten mathematics: A national conference. Teaching Children Mathematics, 8, 510-514.
Copley, J. V. (2010). The young child and mathematics (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Crabtree, B. F. & Miller, W. L. (Eds.) (1999). Doing qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Diamond, M., & Hopson, J. (1998). Magic trees of the mind. New York: Plume.
Dienes, Z. P. (1973). Mathematics through the senses, games, dance and art. Windsor, UK: The National Foundation for Educational Research.
Erdogan, S. & Baran, G. (2009). A study on the effect of mathematics teaching provided through drama on the mathematics ability of six-year-old children. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 5(1), 79-85.
Fuson, K. C., & Briars, D. J. (1990). Using a base-ten blocks learning/teaching approach for firstand second-grade place-value and multidigit addition and subtraction. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, 21, 180-206.
Ginsburg, H. P. (1989). Children’s arithmetic: How they learn it and how you teach it (2nd ed.). Austin, TX：Pro-Ed.
Hirstein J. (2007). Council of teachers of mathematics: The impact of Zoltan Dienes on mathematics teacher in the United States. The Montana Mathematics Enthusiast, 2, 169- 172.
HodnikCadez, T. & Skrbec, M. (2011). Understanding the concepts in probability of pre-school and early school children. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 7(4), 263-279.
Kennedy, N. S. (2009). Towards a dialogical pedagogy: Some characteristics of a community of mathematical inquiry. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 5(1), 71-78.
Koechlin, E., Dehaene, S., & Mehler, J. (1997). Numerical transformations in five month old human infants. Mathematical cognition, 3, 89-104.
Lee, J. (2010). Exploring kindergarten teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics. International Journal of Early Childhood, 42(1), 27-41.
Marinas, C., & Furner, J. M. (2010). Connecting the numbers in the primary grades using an interactive tool. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 15(1), 25-28.
Ministry of Education, Taiwan (2008). Grade 1-9 curriculum guidelines. Taipei, Taiwan: Author. [In Chinese]
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1995). Assessment standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.
National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008). Foundations for success: The final report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
National Research Council (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
National Research Council (2000). Inquiry and the national science education standards: A guide for teaching and learning. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
National Research Council (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Orgill, M., & Thomas, M. (2007). Analogies and the 5E model: Suggestions for using analogies in each phase of the 5E model. The science teacher, 74, 40-45.
Osterman, K. F. (1998). Using constructivism and reflective practice to bridge the theory. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 425518)
Piaget, J. (1965). The child’s concept of number. New York: W. W. Norton.
Park, M., Park, D. Y., & Lee, R. E. (2009). A comparative analysis of earth science curriculum using inquiry methodology between Korean and the U.S. textbooks. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 5(4), 395-411.
Richards, J. (1991). Mathematical discussion. In E. von Glasersfeld (Ed.), Radical constructivism in mathematics (pp. 13-51). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Rips, L. J., Bloomfield, A., & Asmuth, J. (2008). From numerical concepts to concepts of number. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31, 326 -386.
Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2009). Early childhood mathematics education research: Learning trajectories for young children. New York: Routledge.
Staer, H., Goodrum, D., & Hackling, M. (1998). High school laboratory work in western Australia: Openness to inquiry. Research in Science Education, 28(2), 219-228.
Soydan, S. (2015). Analyzing efficiency of two different methods involving acquisition of operational skills by preschool children. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education. 11(1), 129-138.
Sriraman, B., & English, L. D. (2005). On the teaching and learning of Dienes’ principles. International Reviews in Mathematics Education, 37(3), 258-262.
Wolfgang, K. (1992). Gestalt psychology: An introduction to new concepts in modern psychology. New York: Liveright.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Yackel, E., P., Cobb, T., Wood, G., Wheatley, & Merkel. G. (1990). The importance of social interaction in children’s construction of mathematical knowledge. In T. Cooney (Ed.), Teaching and learning mathematics in the 1990s (pp. 12–21). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

How to cite this article

APA

Wu, S.-C., & Lin, F.-L. (2016). Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 12(4), 843-860. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

Vancouver

Wu SC, Lin FL. Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2016;12(4):843-60. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

AMA

Wu SC, Lin FL. Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2016;12(4), 843-860. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

Chicago

Wu, Su-Chiao, and Fou-Lai Lin. "Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2016 12 no. 4 (2016): 843-860. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

Harvard

Wu, S.-C., and Lin, F.-L. (2016). Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 12(4), pp. 843-860. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a

MLA

Wu, Su-Chiao et al. "Inquiry-Based Mathematics Curriculum Design for Young Children-Teaching Experiment and Reflection". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 12, no. 4, 2016, pp. 843-860. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a