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Eric.ed.gov – Teacher Implementation of College- and Career-Readiness Standards: Links among Policy, Instruction, Challenges, and Resources

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Using state-representative teacher surveys in three states–Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky–we examine teachers’ implementation of college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards. What do teachers report about the specificity, authority, consistency, power, and stability of their standards environment? How does their policy environment predict standards-emphasized instruction? Do these relationships differ for those who teach different subjects (math and English Language Arts [ELA]), different grades (elementary or high school), different populations (English Language Learners [ELLs], students with disabilities [SWDs]), and in different areas (rural, urban, or suburban)? We found elementary math teachers taught significantly more standards-emphasized content than elementary ELA teachers, whereas secondary ELA teachers taught significantly more standards-emphasized content than secondary math teachers. Teachers of SWDs and rural teachers taught significantly less of the emphasized content. In all three states,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Green Bean Has to Be Longer than Your Thumb: An Observational Study of Preschoolers’ Math and Science Experiences in a Garden

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: School gardening has become increasingly popular as a context for learning in which children construct new knowledge, learn cultural and societal values related to ecological awareness, and develop and practice authentic or real-world skills (Blair, 2009; Bowker & Tearle, 2007). The present research was a longitudinal case study of children’s gardening experiences at a Reggio-inspired preschool in the United States. Eleven children and their teacher were observed over nine days in various activities such as preparing the garden beds, planting, and harvesting. Through sustained participation in a variety of gardening activities, preschoolers engaged in science-rich dialogue utilizing complex and abstract science process skills such as observing, predicting, evaluating, and comparing. Discussion of number-related concepts, spatial orientation, and size estimation and comparison was also recurrent during gardening activities.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Improving Mathematics Learning by Integrating Curricular Activities with Innovative and Developmentally Appropriate Digital Apps: Findings from the Next Generation Preschool Math Evaluation

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper describes findings from a blocked randomized design (BRD) field study conducted to examine the “Next Generation Preschool Math” (NGPM) program’s implementation in preschool classrooms and promise in improving young children’s mathematic learning. NGPM integrates traditional preschool activities with developmentally appropriate technology to support teaching and learning. During development, an evidence-based curriculum design framework and iterative development processes were employed (i.e. design-based research). Research questions guiding this research include: (1) Does experiencing NGPM impact young children’s mastery of subitizing and equipartitioning?; (2) Can the NGPM units feasibly be implemented in preschool classrooms?; (3) Does experiencing the NGPM unit 1 impact young children’s mastery of subitizing?; (4) Does experiencing the NGPM unit 2 impact young children’s mastery of equipartitioning?; and (5) Does experiencing the NGPM intervention improve… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – “MyTeachingPartner–Math/Science” Pre-Kindergarten Curricula and Teacher Supports: Associations with Children’s Mathematics and Science Learning

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: “MyTeachingPartner–Math/Science” (“MTP-MS”) is a system of two curricula (math and science) plus teacher supports designed to improve the quality of instructional interactions in pre-kindergarten classrooms and to scaffold children’s development in mathematics and science. The program includes year-long curricula in these domains, and a teacher support system (web-based supports and in-person workshops) designed to foster high-quality curricular implementation. This study examined the impacts of the intervention on the development of mathematics and science skills of 444 children during pre-kindergarten, via school-level random assignment to two intervention conditions (“Basic: MTP-M/S” mathematics and science curricula, and “Plus: MTP-M/S” mathematics and science curricula plus related teacher support system) and a Business-as-Usual control condition (“BaU”). There were intervention effects for children’s knowledge and skills in geometry and measurement as well as… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Strengthening Children’s Math Skills with Enhanced Instruction: The Impacts of Making Pre-K Count and High 5s on Kindergarten Outcomes

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Early math skills are a strong predictor of later achievement for young children, not only in math, but in other domains as well. Exhibiting strong math skills in elementary school is predictive of later high school completion and college attendance. To that end, the Making Pre-K Count and High 5s studies set out to rigorously assess whether providing high-quality math instruction, aligned across prekindergarten (pre-K) and kindergarten, could lead to long-term gains across a variety of domains for students growing up in low-income communities in New York City. In Making Pre-K Count, pre-K programs were randomly assigned to receive an evidence-based early math curriculum (Building Blocks) and associated professional development or to a pre-K-as-usual control condition. Pre-K in New York City changed rapidly during the study, with… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Difficulties of Early Childhood Education Teachers’ in Mathematics Activities

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this study, it was aimed to identify the difficulties experienced by early childhood education teachers in planning, implementation and evaluation processes of in-class and out-of-class mathematics activities and parent involvement in such activities. The answers of the teachers to the questions on the interview form were recorded via a voice recorder and transcribed into written form by the researcher. In the direction of the findings, those who think that they have some difficulty in planning the in-class mathematics activities showed the causes as the idea of difficulty of mathematics, the lack of professional experience, failure to know the child well, the difficulties in adaptation, the lack of budget and resources. The difficulties in implementing inclass math activities were indicated as children’s mobility, distraction, having different levels… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Metaphor Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers towards Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Preschool Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The aim of this study was to identify the thoughts of pre-service teachers, who play an important role in the early preschool experience of children in mathematics, towards the concepts of mathematics and education of mathematics with the help of metaphors. The study group of the research consists of a total of 227 pre-service teachers at the Department of Preschool Education, Faculty of Education, Cukurova University in the 2013-2014 academic years. The data of the study were collected by asking pre-service teachers to complete some sentences like “do you think, education of math is like …. in the preschool education; because Math is like …; because….”. The responses obtained from pre-service teachers were categorized by content analysis. As a result of the study, seven categories created by… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Making Pre-K Count: Improving Math Instruction in New York City

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In the context of a persistent achievement lag among low-income children despite substantial investments in early education, policymakers and practitioners continue to seek ways to improve the quality of children’s preschool experiences. The Making Pre-K Count study addresses whether strengthening prekindergarten (pre-K) instruction in math, hypothesized to be a “linchpin” skill in children’s development, can improve children’s short- and longer-term learning. Specifically, the study rigorously evaluated the effect of an evidence-based math curriculum called Building Blocks along with ongoing training and in-classroom coaching, relative to the typical pre-K experience. Making Pre-K Count took place in 69 pre-K sites and over 170 classrooms across New York City. Thirty-five of the pre-K sites were assigned to receive the math curriculum, training, and coaching over two years (the “BB-MPC” group),… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Changing the Developmental Trajectory in Early Math through a Two-Year Preschool Math Intervention

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: There is a national need for effective interventions to improve school readiness and subsequent achievement in mathematics for students from low-income families. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a 2-year preschool math intervention that began at preschool entry when children were 3 years of age and continued through the end of the pre-kindergarten (pre-K) year. Three principal objectives will be addressed in this presentation: (1) to evaluate the efficacy of a math curriculum for 3-year-olds implemented in the pre-pre-kindergarten (pre-pre-K) year of preschool; (2) to compare the impact of a 2-year math intervention (implemented during pre-pre-K and pre-K years) with a 1-year math intervention (PK) or a business-as-usual control condition on children’s mathematical knowledge at the end of preschool; and (3) to examine… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Fostering Early Math Comprehension: Experimental Evidence from Paraguay

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Research indicates that preschool children need to learn pre-math skills to build a foundation for primary- and secondary-level mathematics. This paper presents the results from the early stages of a pilot mathematics program implemented in Cordillera, Paraguay. In a context of significant gaps in teacher preparation and pedagogy, the program uses interactive audio segments that cover the entire preschool math curriculum. Since Paraguayan classrooms tend to be bilingual, the audio and written materials use a combination of Spanish and Guaraní. Based on an experimental evaluation since the program’s implementation, we document positive and significant improvements of 0.16 standard deviations in standardized test scores. The program helped narrow learning gaps between low- and high-performing students, and between students with trained teachers and those whose teachers lack formal training… Continue Reading