Acquaintance with geometry as one of the main goals of teaching mathematics to preschool children - Реферат

Mathelearning for young children is much more than the traditional counting and arithmetic skills. It includes a variety of mathematical sections of among which the important place belongs to geometry. We"ve all seen preschoolers exploring shapes and patterns, drawing and creating geometric designs, taking joy in recognizing and naming specific shapes they see. Also card games, computer games, board games, and others all help children learn geometry.When he apthis view to education, Locke described the teaching and learning proas writing this world of knowledge on the blank-slate mind of the child. It is especially popular in mathematics, where it can be more easily argued that, at least at the early levels, there is a body of knowledge for children to learn. One critic of this approach to mathematics learning has said that, while it may be useful for memorizing numbers such as those in a telephone listing, it has failed to provide a powerful explanation of more complex form: of learning and thinking, such as memorizing meaningful information or problem solving. Or educators ignore the manipulatives and focus instead on pencil-and-paper activities aimed at teaching the names of numbers and various mathematical terms, assuming that this social knowledge will be internalized as real math learning. With Piaget, she believes that children will understand much more, developing a better cognitive foundation as well as self-confidence: children who are confident will learn more in the long run than those who have been taught in ways that make them distrust their own think.Most children require all the time from preschool through the end of grade 6 just to learn the meaning of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals and how to perform operations with them (Of course, a number of other mathematical ideas are also taught along the way). This skill is essential because it enables children to communicate on paper with their teachers and with others in later life. For example, a teacher will lose much time explaining if children do not understand a simple direction such as "Look at the picture at the top of the page." By age six, children often have stable yet limiting ideas about shapes. Ellen Booth Church (a former professor of early childhood ) suggests parents to apply following receptions in the course of acquaintance of children with shapes: · Sort the house: Collect a variety of household objects, like bottle caps and envelopes, and invite your child to sort them into different piles - one for circles, rectangles, and so on.Mathematical learning for young children is much more than the traditional counting and arithmetic skills; it includes a variety of mathematical concepts (classification, ordering, counting, addition and subtraction, measuring, geometry). Main goal of beginning geometry is to teach children to recognize the most simple shapes-the square, the circle, the triangle, and the rectangle. Thus teachers must keep in mind that children learn geometry most effectively through active engagement with toys, blocks, puzzles, manipulatives, drawings, computers and teachers!

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

I. HISTORICAL PATTERNS AND PERSPECTIVES OF TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

II. THE PURPOSES AND CONTENT OF MODERN MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

III. THE METHODS OF CHILD’S ACQUAINTANCE WITH GEOMETRIC SHAPES

CONCLUSION

CONTENTS

REFERENCES

Mathematical learning for young children is much more than the traditional counting and arithmetic skills; it includes a variety of mathematical concepts (classification, ordering, counting, addition and subtraction, measuring, geometry).

Children may begin some simple work with geometry in primary school. Main goal of beginning geometry is to teach children to recognize the most simple shapes-the square, the circle, the triangle, and the rectangle. Teaching such basic terms simplifies classroom explanations and lays the foundation for future work with geometry.

By age six, children often have stable yet limiting ideas about shapes. It’s possible to broaden child"s understanding by pointing out a variety of examples - squares that are many sizes and triangles that are "long," "skinny," "fat," and turned in many directions.

Thus teachers must keep in mind that children learn geometry most effectively through active engagement with toys, blocks, puzzles, manipulatives, drawings, computers and teachers!

It’s possible to develop deeper thinking about shapes not just through hands-on activities and discussions, picture books but through playing. In primary school playing is used as the main method of teaching.

Huge experience of using games and playing exercises during the children’s studying of mathematics (and geometry) is accumulated in practice of working of preschool organizations.

1. Douglas Clements. Ready for Geometry! From an early age, children make sense of the shapes they see in the world around them // International Journal of Mathematical Education. Science and Technology. - 2006. - № 2, pp. 5-6.

2. Ellen Booth Church. Exploring simple shapes sets the stage for creative thinking // International Journal of Mathematical Education. Science and Technology. - 2007. - № 11, pp. 12-13.

3. Ellen Booth Church. Boxes are the raw materials of creative thinking! // International Journal of Mathematical Education. Science and Technology. - 2006. - № 10, pp. 9-10

4. Ellen Booth Church. Color, Shape, and Size. Use snacks and mealtime to teach big ideas with taste and ease // International Journal of Mathematical Education. Science and Technology. - 2007. - № 8, pp. 2-5.

5. Julie Sarama, Douglas H. Clements. Some activities teachers can try to support math learning// International Journal of Mathematical Education. Science and Technology. - 2005. - № 1, pp. 10-11.

6. Suzanne Lowell Krogh. Educating Young Children. Infancy to Grade Three. New York.: MCGRAW-Hill, Inc., 1994. - 605 p.

7. The World Book of Math Power. Volume 1. Learning Math. - Chicago.: World Book, Inc., 1995. - 420 p.