Over a three to four day period, preschool teachers can learn about the development of children’s counting, see how that fits with their curricula, and learn how to embed work on counting into their practice in fun and intentional ways. The goal is to engage participants deeply in children’s thinking and support them to elicit and build on their own children's ideas.
Professional Development: 3-4 days
This plan is designed to engage practicing teachers deeply with ideas about supporting the development of children's thinking on counting over multiple days.
Start from Where Teachers Are
Find out the strengths and worries participants have about teaching mathematics
- Start with an activity that gives participants an opportunity to get to know each other, even if they already work together (see Ideas for Engaging Participants). These activities start the session off with teachers relating to each other in new ways and engaging in productive discussions.
- Orient them to what is important about counting and why by watching videos of Dr. Ginsburg talking about counting.
- Engage them in a reflective discussion about their strengths as mathematics teachers and what they hope to learn.
Details of Children’s Thinking about Counting
Support participants in learning how children’s ideas about counting develop
- Engage participants with the resources in the Development of Children’s Thinking section of the Counting module. Help them know in detail the principles of counting and how they develop.
- Ask them to read The Mathematics of Counting. Read this during the PD, mark it, and discuss.
- Use the Counting and Enumeration Protocol to guide them in assessing their own students.
Using Children’s Ideas of Counting in Teaching
Support participants in integrating children’s thinking into their practice
- Engage participants in the Using Picture Books: Counting activity.
- Use the Counting Collections Overview activities.
Reflecting on Practice
Help participants identify where they are in their development and their next steps
- Use the activities in the Vignettes section of the Counting module.
- Draw on reflection tasks to help participants consider how they will get started (see Ideas for Engaging Participants). Ask them to one thing they can do in their practice that they learned from the PD.
Resource Type