(Download) "Math Without Tears! Tapping Into the Linguistic Genius of Young Children to Teach the Big Ideas of Math" by Evelyn Raiken Lewis ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Math Without Tears! Tapping Into the Linguistic Genius of Young Children to Teach the Big Ideas of Math
- Author : Evelyn Raiken Lewis
- Release Date : January 18, 2016
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 362 KB
Description
Babies and young children can crack the speech code of any language they hear. If they hear French, they learn French. If they hear Swahili, they will learn Swahili. Similarly, if babies and young children hear with math vocabulary and concepts they will learn the language of math as part of their native language.
We all expect children to learn their native language without lessons, worksheets or tests. They are linguistic geniuses that can learn language by immersion in a speech community. But this time of linguist genius is short-lived. I myself learned English as a child but taking French classes in high school was an unmitigated failure. Similarly with my classmates. Also similarly, when students first learn math vocabulary and concepts in high school it is usually an unmitigated failure.
If we can leave the assumption aside that young children must spend years doing simplistic arithmetic and provide a speech community with expertise in math, children could learn math as easily as they learn their native language.
I explore the idea that a core reason children have difficulty with math is the lack of exposure to high-level math vocabulary and concepts in early years. Young children are dependent on opportunities provided by their families. Those children who hear mathematical terminology at the dinner table or in everyday conversations will become increasingly proficient.
Children who spend their early years adding with pebbles and filling out rote worksheets are at a disadvantage. They are doing this busywork just when their brains are in high gear for learning language, including the language of math. They will be introduced to math terminology and concepts in later years when their brains actively blocking new language patterns. As a result, children who learned their native language without difficulty will think themselves too dumb to understand the relatively simple algorithms of math.
I ask us to consider whether shifting the emphasis in early math education from simplistic arithmetic to to an exploration of mathematical ideas would give children an opportunity to excel in mathematical reasoning.
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