Professional Development for Early Childhood Mathematics Education

Herbert P. GinsburgTeachers College Columbia University

STEM SummitFebruary 18, 2010

OverviewThe goals are to explain why we

need extensive professional development to implement early mathematics education and what PD should entail

And to describe a pre-service program (VITAL) and an in-service model (child study/lesson study)

Background

According to the NAS Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics:◦“When given the appropriate learning opportunities, young children can become competent in mathematics.

◦Recommendation: A coordinated national early childhood mathematics initiative should be put in place to improve mathematics teaching and learning for all children ages 3 to 6.”

FurtherYoung children can benefit from:

◦Intentional teaching◦Planned curriculum◦An extensive focus on number and

geometry◦Experiences that promote not only

procedures and facts, but also: concepts, mathematical thinking, “math talk”, and “mathematizing”

Much is needed to accomplish thisMy focus will be on the early

childhood teachers:◦Who are they?◦What do they need?◦How can we help them to be come

good teachers?

Who are they?Demographics (from the committee

report)◦2.3 million in ECE workforce◦24% employed in centers, 28% in family

child care, and 48% in informal family, friend, and neighbor

BA or More◦Pre-K 73%◦Head Start 36%◦Center-based 30%◦Home-based 11%

CompensationSignificantly lower than K-12

teacher compensation◦Average preschool teacher salary: $25,800◦Average child care worker salary: $19,670◦Average Head Start teacher salary:

$24,608Many ECE teachers do not receive

health insurance benefits from their employers

(So why should talented people go into this field?)

7

Poor preparationThey seldom get extensive and

appropriate math education training in higher education◦Colleges give the least training in the

subject with which prospective teachers need the most help!

They seldom get extensive and appropriate in-service training once they are in the classrooms

Also, in general, they:Think children cannot learn abstract

mathDon’t understand the mathBelieve that social-emotional

development and play should be emphasized above all else

Believe teaching and curriculum are developmentally inappropriate

Teach math badly (if they do teach it)Are afraid of math and don’t want to

teach it– thus:

My students say:“Math has always been a dreaded

subject for me. I have yet to think of math in a positive way. In fact I have to take a math course for my New York certification, and I'm trying my hardest to find a way around it.”

“My previous history as a poor math student makes me fear teaching math to young children in the future, that being partially my reason for choosing early childhood education.”

What do they need to learn?

To get over their fear and appreciate the importance of math

To understand the mathTo understand children’s math

abilitiesTo form actionable and specific

connections between theory and practice (no vague ideology)

To assess and teachTo implement a curriculum

Pre-service professional development

There are very few college level courses that focus on early childhood mathematics education (age 3 to grade 2)

With NSF support, we have created a model course with several features

This is of course only one approach and more is needed

Four components of VITALA course syllabus (in many

different subject matter areas, like couples therapy and arts education)

New technology and pedagogy for “clipping”

Higher education classroom pedagogy

Digital library

Course in early mathematics education at TC (and elsewhere)

Content goals:◦Children’s mathematical thinking◦Pedagogy◦Curriculum◦Mathematics◦Assessment (particularly clinical interview)

Traditional: syllabus, weekly readings (on the “new” research) and class meetings

Class syllabus

Example: One week’s reading

Talbot, M. (2006) The Baby Lab. New Yorker; 9/4/2006, Vol. 82 Issue 27, pp. 90-101

Ginsburg, H. P. (1989). Children’s Arithmetic (Second edition). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. Chapter 2: "Learning to Count"

Gelman, R. (2000). The epigenesis of mathematical thinking. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21(1), 27-37.

Ramani, G. B., & Siegler, R. S. (2008). Promoting Broad and Stable Improvements in Low-Income Children’s Numerical Knowledge Through Playing Number Board Games Child Development, 79(2), 375-394.

But a larger context for the reading

Course library

Example of assignmentIn what ways does Olivia

“understand” or not understand addition? What mistakes did the interviewer make in interviewing her? Cite evidence to support your argument. Given what you saw, what would you do to teach her addition?

Example of video

Workspace and clipping

An Essay

Classroom Pedagogy

Classroom analysis of videos as we did it

The instructor models◦Close observation◦Specification of evidence◦Interpretation◦Challenge hypotheses◦Offer alternative hypotheses◦Social interaction: argument and

collaboration◦Respect for reason and modesty

Final projectChoose a topic to teachReview the literatureVideotape teaching of a lesson Videotape clinical interview of a child before and

after the lessonWrite a VITAL essay, embedding key video

evidence, analyzing teaching and interpreting student’s learning

The humble, low tech reflection

After each class, a few sentences on something important you learned

I responded to allStarted the next class with

selected reflections that raised interesting issues or alternative points

A strange kind of intimacy that included discussion of students’ fears and anxieties

In-service Professional Development

It has to be very intensive because: ◦Most new teachers coming into the

system are likely to be poorly trained◦Teachers already in the system were

also poorly trained and in general have avoided math teaching for many years

Key components of in-service PDUnlike pre-service, training is tied

directly to the use of a curriculumTraining is extensive and ongoing,

including an initial training at the outset of the school year, with follow-up sessions

Teachers are supported through onsite coaching at least once per month

Teachers have opportunities for hands-on practice, discussion, and collaboration

Child study/lesson study modelWe have developed an approach in

which:◦Teachers plan a lesson based on the

existing curriculum◦A teacher tries it out with her class◦She interviews several students (high,

medium, low) about what they have learned

◦Teachers meet to discuss videos of the lesson and the interviews

◦The entire process repeats over the year

ConclusionThe children can learn mathThere are several good curricula for teaching

itThe weakest link is the teachersWe have done a terrible job of preparing

them and supporting themWe need extensive professional development

at all levels (for professors of ECME, for prospective teachers, for practicing teachers

This is a massive job but unless we do it, we will not succeed in implementing effective early math education

Contact information Herbert P. GinsburgJacob H. Schiff Foundation Professor

of Psychology and EducationTeachers College Columbia UniversityDepartment of Human Development542 Grace Dodge Hall525 W. 120th StreetNew York, NY 10027212.678.3443ginsburg@tc.edu