Learning mathematics in two dimensions: a review and look ahead at teaching and learning early childhood mathematics with children’s literature

Abstract

In the past 25 years an identifiable interest in using children’s literature in mathematics learning emerged (Clyne and Griffiths, 1991; Welchman-Tischler, 1992; Hong, 1996; Hellwig etal., 2000; Haury, 2001). We critically review the rationales given for the use of picture books in mathematics learning, with a special focus on geometry due to its underrepresentation in this body of literature and the need for greater focus on this topic. The benefits and effectiveness of using picture books for children’s mathematics learning and interest have been documented (Hong, 1996; O’Neill etal., 2004; Young-Loveridge, 2004). For geometry, although much learning of shape ideas should be hands-on, two-dimensional figures are essential to develop children’s understanding of plane geometry. Books may effectively engage pre-literate children with plane shapes (van den Heuvel-Panhuizen and van den Boogaard, 2008; Skoumpourdi and Mpakopoulou, 2011) and shapes as gestalt wholes or prototypes (van Hiele, 1986; Clements etal., 1999; Hannibal, 1999). We review several guidelines and evaluative criteria for book selection, including Cianciolo (2000), Schiro (1997), Hunsader (2004), and van den Heuvel-Panhuizen and Elia (2012). Geometry concepts have proven challenging for young students, but their difficulties may stem, in part, from inadequate teacher training and professional development (Clements and Sarama, 2000; Chard etal., 2008) which lead to misconceptions (Oberdorf and Taylor-Cox, 1999; Inan and Dogan-Temur, 2010). Using picture books in teacher training may be an inviting way for early childhood teachers to enhance their own knowledge. We will examine the literature for guidance on incorporating children’s literature into teacher training. In closing we will outline a comprehensive, multi-pronged agenda for best instructional practices for selection and use of children’s books in mathematics activities and for teacher training.

They can interact, but can they learn? Toddlers’ transfer learning from touchscreens and television

“…A recent review of literature on the use of picture books to teach math concepts during early childhood education (Flevares & Schiff, 2014) identified a number of pitfalls and opportunities of using 2D materials to teach math concepts, and the authors strongly argued that direct hands-on experience is necessary for learning. The current findings contribute to this arena by showing a bidirectional deficit in transfer; information acquired via a robust 3D demonstration might not necessarily transfer to the 2D setting as assumed by educators and parents (or the reverse).…”

An Open Book: What and How Young Children Learn From Picture and Story Books

“…The next section in the series focuses on what children learn from storybooks. Three papers focus specifically on word learning (Houston-Price et al, 2014;Khu et al, 2014;Williams and Horst, 2014) and a further six focus on how shared book reading supports developments in children's understanding of people (Abad and Pruden, 2013;Golos and Moses, 2013), animals (Ganea et al, 2014;Waxman et al, 2014), food (Heath et al, 2014), and even geometry concepts (Flevares and Schiff, 2014). Khu et al (2014) demonstrate that teaching 21-month-old toddlers the name of a novel object through a picture book facilitates their ability to learn objects' non-obvious properties (e.g., lighting-up with applied pressure; introduced through a second picture book).…”

Editorial: An Open Book: What and How Young Children Learn from Picture and Story Books

“…The next section in the series focuses on what children learn from storybooks. Three papers focus specifically on word learning (Houston-Price et al, 2014 ; Khu et al, 2014 ; Williams and Horst, 2014 ) and a further six focus on how shared book reading supports developments in children's understanding of people (Abad and Pruden, 2013 ; Golos and Moses, 2013 ), animals (Ganea et al, 2014 ; Waxman et al, 2014 ), food (Heath et al, 2014 ), and even geometry concepts (Flevares and Schiff, 2014 ). Khu et al ( 2014 ) demonstrate that teaching 21-month-old toddlers the name of a novel object through a picture book facilitates their ability to learn objects' non-obvious properties (e.g., lighting-up with applied pressure; introduced through a second picture book).…”

“…Heath et al suggest that picture books might help more broadly to familiarize children with situations that they might otherwise reject. Flevares and Schiff ( 2014 ) undertake a chronological review of the evolution of different perspectives on the role of books in supporting school-aged children's learning of mathematical concepts, such as plane geometry. They explore the benefits of using picture-based literature for children's learning of and motivation to engage with mathematics concepts, and for the training of teachers in the delivery of these concepts.…”