In a recent study, Gevers and colleagues (2010, "Journal of Experimental Psychology: General," Vol. 139, pp. 180-190) showed that the SNARC (spatial numerical association of response codes) effect in adults results not only from spatial coding of magnitude (e.g., mental number line hypothesis) but also from verbal coding. Because children are…

Mathematical concepts and experiences are recalled and organized in a flow chart format. The power of unifying ideas in mathematics often causes this sequence to be forgotten or assigned less importance than it should be. (SD)

The author argues on theoretical grounds that not all "logical" pre-number activities are equally relevant for numeracy, and concludes with a practical suggestion for the kind of activity which does have particular relevance. (MN)

Activities for the development of the association of number value and symbols using wooden numerals and pages are described. (MN)

The author criticizes some highly publicized psychological research on the development of number concepts, arguing that the research was poorly executed and emotively reported. (SD)

Described is an activity where base-10 blocks are used to develop students' skills in reading, writing, and visualizing large numbers. An activity sheet that helps students with decimal points is included. (KR)

The processes and strategies used by Finnish second graders in solving verbal multiplication and division tasks were investigated, and the relationship of these processes and strategies to Piagetian abilities, memory capacity skills, and rational number concepts was charted. Three categories of strategies were classified: operations based on…

An intensive, naturalistic study tracked one six year old's learning for six months and more. The study was inspired by the hope that with concepts of Artificial Intelligence and sufficiently detailed observation, the path of knowledge development could be described through observing significant learning experiences. Included is a reasonably…

Fourth grade children (n=20) were matched on a pretest and randomly assigned to either a wooden base-10 block or computerized microworld group. Instruction was designed to establish relationships between notation and meaning, extending whole number numeration to decimal numeration. Neither group changed whole-number notational methods nor had…

This study examined the generality of the logarithmic to linear transition in children's representations of numerical magnitudes and the role of subjective categorization of numbers in the acquisition of more advanced understanding. Experiment 1 (49 girls and 41 boys, ages 5-8 years) suggested parallel transitions from kindergarten to second grade…

Children were grouped according to ability to conserve number and then randomly assigned to training on arithmetic concepts or playing a game. The research hypothesis that there would be an interaction effect between conservation and effect of treatment was not confirmed. (SD)

The author interprets several mathematical concepts as groupings using Piaget's definition. He also discusses (briefly) the implications for primary education. (SD)

Six seven-year-old children were interviewed to investigate the quality of their solutions to whole-number tasks. Detailed analyses are provided of interviews with a girl who displayed an operative counting scheme (numerical extension) and a boy with a figurative counting scheme (intuitive extension). (MNS)

A nine-year-old's conception of fractions was compared with his knowledge of units. He had effective schemes for solving some partition problems but did not consistently use units of different sizes in interpreting fractions. His solutions to equivalence problems showed no coherent method of verification. (MNS)

This guide describes 47 number and numeration learning activities that can be used with elementary school students. These activities have been developed using the mathematics laboratory approach. This publication is designed to serve as a stimulant to encourage teachers to open their minds and employ their imagination in developing further…