What Knowledge is Shaping Teacher Preparation in Early Childhood Mathematics?

Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Volume 36, Issue 2, 2015, p. 124-141

This article reports on an analysis of scholarship published over the last 20 years in four journals, which examined the discourse in these journals around mathematical content and instructional strategies for preservice early childhood teachers. The analysis is focusing on the U.S. context.

The findings revealed that attention to the context of early childhood education was minimal, largely as a result of a dominant focus on elementary education.
This focus on elementary rather than early childhood showed up in greater attention to advanced content in mathematics and in an emphasis on formal over informal instructional methods.

This review suggests a need for research on how preservice teachers learn to teach early mathematics, such as counting and cardinality, to adapt early childhood curricula, to use teaching practices that link formal and informal instruction, and to meet the needs of the whole child while promoting mathematical growth.