In the literature on numerical cognition, the presence of the capacity to distinguish between numerosities by attending to the number of items, rather than continuous properties of stimuli that correlate with it, is commonly taken as sufficient indication of numerical abilities in cognitive agents. However, this literature does not take into…

Preschool students' mastery of early numeracy skills is important, so they enter kindergarten with the necessary prerequisite skills, which are predictive of achievement in later elementary grades. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) instructional package on the foundational early…

Estimating and accounting for statistical uncertainty have become essential in today's information age, and crucial for cultivating a sound decision making citizenry. Engaging with statistical uncertainty early on can support the gradual development of uncertainty-related considerations that are often challenging to foster at any age. Statistical…

It has become increasingly clear that the early use of decomposition for addition is associated with later mathematical achievement. This study examined how younger children execute a base-10 decomposition strategy to solve complex arithmetic (e.g. two-digit addition). 24 addition problems in two modalities (WA: Written Arithmetic; OA: Oral…

While focusing on numeracy is essential in preschool classrooms with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, it is also important that concepts of numeracy be taught in a way that incorporates executive functions, introduces computational thinking, and prepares students for life in a 21st-century world. Technology-enhanced teaching resources…

The "cardinality principle" (CP) is a conceptual basis of counting collections meaningfully and provides a foundation for understanding other key aspects of numeracy, such as the successor principle or counting-on to determine sums. Unfortunately, little research has focused on how best to teach the CP. One suggestion is that modeling…

One of the biggest challenges for primary school children is moving beyond the use of counting in calculation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Zambian Grade 1 to Grade 4 children at primary school see a group of 10 as an effective pattern and structure with the given concrete material. The study consisted of three phases…

Children and animals of all kinds are said to develop some degree of number sense. The search for "number neurons" and neural correlates of computational thinking aims to identify biological primitives to explain the emergence of number sense. This work typically looks for the sources of number sense in organisms, but one might extend…

The three target articles presented in this special issue converged on an emerging theme: the importance of spatial proportional reasoning. They suggest that the ability to map between symbolic fractions (like 1/5) and nonsymbolic, spatial representations of their sizes or "magnitudes" may be especially important for building robust…

Quality primary education is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Undoubtedly, mathematics plays a key role in overcoming future challenges, and mathematical competence and problem-solving skills could help provide appropriate solutions to current and future social, environmental and economic challenges. The following paper deals…

The school subject Mathematical Literacy requires application of mathematics procedures in various contextual settings, but not much is known about the ways in which students engage with contextual settings such as inflation. This qualitative study was conducted with in-service Mathematical Literacy teachers in South Africa with the purpose of…

Children form mathematical concepts at an early age, and many of these concepts are linked to informal measurement experiences. However, mathematics education at school is often focused on counting and numbers. A mathematics intervention using a measurement-focused program replaced the usual mathematics program for 40 children entering their first…

Using a game-based context and concentrating explicitly on language, students in the early years are able to make sense about place value amid the vagaries of the English language in naming numbers. This conceptual approach to understanding place value allows students to further develop number strategies beyond counting by ones.

A Number Talk is a brief activity (10-15 minutes in length) that is designed to support students' mathematical sense making and promote flexible thinking. During a Number Talk, students engage in mental computations. Number Talks help students do the following: (1) Develop number sense focused on making sense of quantity and mathematical…

Attention to early childhood mathematics instructional strategies has sharpened due to the relatively poor mathematics performance of U.S. students in comparison to students from other countries and research evidence that early mathematics skills impact later achievement. Early Childhood counting skills form the foundation for subsequent…