This course will use the circles of caring framework to examine mathematics through the lens of children's mathematical development. The focus of the course will be on the ways in which children's thinking about mathematics is varied and complex and will be based on the principle that elementary mathematics is not elementary. Video clips, cases and artifacts that show concrete examples of the ways children struggle to make sense of mathematics will be used to demonstrate how children can learn mathematical procedures without learning the underlying mathematical concepts. Research about children's mathematics development will be used as the basis of discussion about why deep conceptual understanding is generative and enables children to extend and apply their thinking in new situations.
This course will use the circles of caring framework to examine mathematics through the lens of children's mathematical development. The focus of the course will be on the ways in which children's thinking about mathematics is varied and complex and will be based on the principle that elementary mathematics is not elementary. Video clips, cases and artifacts that show concrete examples of the ways children struggle to make sense of mathematics will be used to demonstrate how children can learn mathematical procedures without learning the underlying mathematical concepts. Research about children's mathematics development will be used as the basis of discussion about why deep conceptual understanding is generative and enables children to extend and apply their thinking in new situations.
