Where Are All the Numbers?

As you know by now, the Trees Classroom acts as our math area during activity time. 

Some of you have spent more time in the Trees classroom than others. Please do drop by if you have not visited recently (looking at you, Sky Class parents)!  

You have probably already noticed that almost everything in the Land of Mr. Johnson, almost every game and object and activity involves...

fitting things together ...

moving things around ...

witnessing how things change as relationships between objects change ...

 

taking things apart...

















...and putting them back together again.

Whether it is a game or a building material or even putting valentines into our mailbox pockets, you will see that a lot of what goes on in the Trees classroom involves children being aware of objects in space and how to best manipulate them. Otherwise known as...  

spatial reasoning.

Back up. In order to do math, you need numbers, right? 
If this is the "math classroom," where are all the numbers? 

Fear not, dear reader. You are actually very happy we are starting with spatial reasoning and no jumping right into numbers...

And here are five handy-dandy reasons why: 

1. "Let's start at the very beginning" - Maria Von Trapp

When looking at what a person needs in order to be successful in any kind of mathematical activity, spatial reasoning stands as a foundation for mathematical readiness and success. Why is this?

2.  Spatial reasoning and mathematical thinking are more than linked...

... they are pretty much the same thing. Numerous research studies demonstrate the strong relationship between spatial reasoning and what we typically think of as mathematical ability. As it has been studied, spatial reasoning is linked to performance within many strands of mathematics including: 

mental arithmetic, word problems, geometry, algebra, calculus, and advanced mathematics.

3. Look at who else is doing it! 

As of 2015, the United States is ranked 40th out of the 72 countries included in the international ranking system TIMSS, which looks at science and mathematical performance in early childhood education. 

We Americans have been hearing statistics like this for a while. As we shift our approaches, our numbers are slowly climbing.

In the educational blog Mind/Shift, Katrina Schwartz discusses the broad supply of research that is pointing away from learning math through memorization, a hallmark of the approach of the last century, and toward problem-solving.  At the preschool level, problem-solving often involves spatial reasoning.  In her article Why Spatial Reasoning Is Crucial For Early Math Education, Schwartz says:

"Students who solve problems by memorizing algorithms use a completely different part of the brain than those who work out the problem with various strategies. If the U.S. wants to improve the math abilities of its young people, it must heed the research and switch approaches [to those of] countries like Canada, Estonia, Germany, and Hong Kong. [They] emerged as leaders in math education from the 2015 PISA results. Not only do students in these countries score well, but the gaps between rich and poor students are much smaller."

Which leads us beautifully into reason number four...

4. It levels the playing field. 

Children enter school with a high variation regarding how much math they have been exposed to. Some children count, recognize numbers, and even perform simple arithmetic at home from an early age. Others have not had that exposure. When a teacher starts with counting or number recognition, there is a distinct line drawn between the children who already know this and those who don't. When you start with spatial reasoning, this is something that every child has a basic awareness of and is able to participate in right away. 

Is this holding the children who already know how to count or recognize numbers back? No. 

Quite the opposite. Starting with spatial reasoning enriches the mathematical foundation for those who already know more about numerals and counting, as much of their prior knowledge is based on memorization and not understanding. Grappling with the real space and time problems of building, fitting together, arranging in patterns, provides understanding and context for the knowledge they already have acquired. 

5. Come to think of it...

The arts, geography, the sciences, the study of language, and physical education all rely on at least some aspects of spatial thinking.  In his book, Spatial Reasoning in the Early Years: Principles, Assertions, and Speculations, Brent Davis discusses how spatial reasoning itself is rarely, if ever, explicitly taught. "It is important to note," he writes, "that spatial recognition plays a vital role across all grades, and across most, if not all, academic subjects." 

So there you have it — We are mathematicians in the making!

Do we spend time on counting, patterns, and basic arithmetic - Oh yes, and it is all incorporated into this solid foundation of spatial reasoning. 

Please feel free to visit the Trees classroom and brush up on your own spatial reasoning. We love visitors in the morning. 

You may see something GLORIOUS ...

Hope to see you soon!