Re-thinking ‘normal’ development in the early learning of number
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Coles, Alf
Sinclair, Nathalie
Abstract / Description
In this article we suggest that, notwithstanding noted differences, one unmarked similarity across psychology and mathematics education is the continued dominance of the view that there is a ‘normal’ path of development. We focus particularly on the case of the early learning of number and point to evidence that puts into question the dominant narrative of how number sense develops through the concrete and the cardinal. Recent neuroscience findings have raised the potential significance of ordinal approaches to learning number, which in privileging the symbolic—and hence the abstract—reverse one aspect of the ‘normal’ development order. We draw on empirical evidence to suggest that what children can do, and in what order, is sensitive to, among other things, the curriculum approach—and also the tools they have at their disposition. We draw out implications from our work for curriculum organisation in the early years of schooling, to disrupt taken-for-granted paths.
Keyword(s)
early number development mathematics teaching technologyPersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2018-06-07
Journal title
Journal of Numerical Cognition
Volume
4
Issue
1
Page numbers
136–158
Publisher
PsychOpen GOLD
Publication status
publishedVersion
Review status
peerReviewed
Is version of
Citation
Coles, A., & Sinclair, N. (2018). Re-thinking ‘normal’ development in the early learning of number. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 4(1), 136–158. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v4i1.101
-
jnc.v4i1.101.pdfAdobe PDF - 542KBMD5: 52f2341f0933cd533bb7ef1fe8eac5d5
-
There are no other versions of this object.
-
Author(s) / Creator(s)Coles, Alf
-
Author(s) / Creator(s)Sinclair, Nathalie
-
PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2018-11-21T11:42:52Z
-
Made available on2018-11-21T11:42:52Z
-
Date of first publication2018-06-07
-
Abstract / DescriptionIn this article we suggest that, notwithstanding noted differences, one unmarked similarity across psychology and mathematics education is the continued dominance of the view that there is a ‘normal’ path of development. We focus particularly on the case of the early learning of number and point to evidence that puts into question the dominant narrative of how number sense develops through the concrete and the cardinal. Recent neuroscience findings have raised the potential significance of ordinal approaches to learning number, which in privileging the symbolic—and hence the abstract—reverse one aspect of the ‘normal’ development order. We draw on empirical evidence to suggest that what children can do, and in what order, is sensitive to, among other things, the curriculum approach—and also the tools they have at their disposition. We draw out implications from our work for curriculum organisation in the early years of schooling, to disrupt taken-for-granted paths.en_US
-
Publication statuspublishedVersion
-
Review statuspeerReviewed
-
CitationColes, A., & Sinclair, N. (2018). Re-thinking ‘normal’ development in the early learning of number. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 4(1), 136–158. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v4i1.101en_US
-
ISSN2363-8761
-
Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1280
-
Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1472
-
Language of contenteng
-
PublisherPsychOpen GOLD
-
Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v4i1.101
-
Keyword(s)early numberen_US
-
Keyword(s)developmenten_US
-
Keyword(s)mathematicsen_US
-
Keyword(s)teachingen_US
-
Keyword(s)technologyen_US
-
Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
-
TitleRe-thinking ‘normal’ development in the early learning of numberen_US
-
DRO typearticle
-
Issue1
-
Journal titleJournal of Numerical Cognition
-
Page numbers136–158
-
Volume4
-
Visible tag(s)Version of Record