The mathematics of young children
In the research group, we look at how children of kindergarten age engage in mathematical activity through play in the home and in kindergarten.
Instead of using school mathematics as a measure for the endeavour of kindergartens, the research team take as a starting point Bennett’s description of social pedagogy tradition which he viewed as being prevalent in the Nordic countries.
This way of thinking about mathematics will enable us to explore what affects kindergarten teachers and kindergartens' provision of learning possibilities in relation to these mathematical activities. It also provides opportunities to consider what happens outside of kindergarten situations with others, such as parents.
We are particularly interested in finding out how wider societal changes, such as the introduction of new technology or changes in the demographics of children attending kindergarten, may impact different groups of children's opportunities to participate in mathematical activity relevant to their current and future lives.
The research group The mathematics of young children is a subgroup of the research group Mathematics education in a critical perspective.
Publications
Fosse, T., Johansson, M. L., Lossius, M. H., Wager, A., & Wernberg, A. (2018). Stories neglected about children’s mathematics learning in play. In C. Benz, A. S. Steinweg, H. Gasteiger, P. Schöner, H. Vollmuth & J. Zöllner (Eds.), Mathematics Education in the Early Years: Results from the POEM3 Conference, 2016 (pp. 93-108). Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-78220-1_5.
Fosse, T., Lange, T., Hope Lossius, M., & Meaney, T. (2018). Mathematics as the Trojan horse in Norwegian early childhood policy? Research in Mathematics Education, 20(2), 166–182. doi: 10.1080/14794802.2018.1473162.
Fosse, T., Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2020). Kindergarten teachers’ stories about young children’s problem posing and problem solving. In I. Erfjord, M. Carlsen, & P. S. Hunderland (Eds.). Mathematics Education in the Early Years Results from the POEM4 Conference, 2018 (pp. 351-368). New York: Springer.
Fosse, T., & Lossius, M. H. (2018). “I find that pleasurable and play-oriented mathematical activities create wondering and curiosity” Norwegian kindergarten teachers’ views on mathematics In E. Norén, H. Palmér & A. Cooke (Eds). Nordic Research in Mathematics Education: Papers of NORMA 17. The Eighth Nordic Conference on Mathematics Education Stockholm, May 30–June 2, 2017 (pp. 21–30). Göteborg: Swedish Society for Research in Mathematics Education.
Hauge, I., Kacerja, S., Lange, T., Lie, J., Meaney, T., & Severina, E. (2018). Teacher educators´ views of young children’s mathematics: The impact of different roles. In C. Benz, H. Gasteiger, A. Steinweg, H. Vollmuth & J. Zöllner (Eds.), Mathematics Education Perspective on Early Mathematics Learning between the Poles of Instruction and Construction 3 (pp. 3–25). New York: Springer.
Helenius, O., Johansson, M. L., Lange, T., Meaney, T., & Wernberg, A. (2018). Differential enhancement in mathematics preschool class activities. In C. Knipping, U. Gellert, & H. Straehler-Pohl (Eds.). Inside the mathematics class: Sociological perspectives on participation, inclusion, and enhancement (pp. 119-144). New York: Springer.
Helenius, O., Johansson, M. L., Lange, T., Meaney, T., & Wernberg, A. (2020). Matematikdidaktik i förskolan - att utveckla lekfulla matematiska barn. Malmö: Gleerups Utbildning AB.
Lange, T. (2019). Unpacking the emperor’s new policies: How more mathematics in barnehage will save Norway. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 19(1), 8-20. doi: 10.1007/s42330-019-00041-1.
Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2018). Policy production through the media: The case of more mathematics in early childhood education. In M. Jurdak & R. Vithal (Eds.), Sociopolitical dimensions of mathematics education: From the margin to mainstream (pp. 191-207). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-72610-6_11.
Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2018). Talking about mathematics in two languages: Can parental views inform the development of digital games for young children? NOMAD - Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 23(3-4), 203–223.
Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2019). What the mathematics in the puzzles and handicrafts in 1920s Danish children’s magazines tells us about childhoods. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 20(4), 394-408. doi: 10.1177/1463949119888480.
Lembrér, D. (2018). Polish parents’ views on mathematics activities at home and in Swedish preschools. Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 23(3–4), 185–201.
Lembrér, D. (2019). Using photo-elicitation in early years mathematics research. In U. T. Jankvist, Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, M., & Veldhuis, M. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME11, February 6–10, 2019). (pp. 1912–1919). Utrecht, Netherlands: Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University and ERME.
Lembrér, D. (2020). Parents’ valuing of mathematics for young children. In I. Erfjord, M. Carlsen, & P. S. Hunderland (Eds.). Mathematics Education in the Early Years Results from the POEM4 Conference, 2018 (pp. 403-420). New York: Springer.
Lembrér, D., Kacerja, S., & Meaney, T. (2018). Preservice teachers recognising and responding to young children’s engagement with mathematics. In C. Benz, A. S. Steinweg, H. Gasteiger, P. Schöner, H. Vollmuth & J. Zöllner (Eds.), Mathematics Education in the Early Years: Results from the POEM3 Conference, 2016 (pp. 27-46). Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-78220-1_2.
Lossius, M. H. & Lundhauge, T. (2020). Mathematical problem-solving visualised in outdoor activities. In I. Erfjord, M. Carlsen, & P. S. Hunderland (Eds.). Mathematics Education in the Early Years Results from the POEM4 Conference, 2018 (pp. 127-141). New York: Springer.
Severina, E. & Meaney, T. (2020). The semiotic resources children use in their explanations of hypothetical situations. In I. Erfjord, M. Carlsen, & P. S. Hunderland
Current projects
- Intercultural kindergarten mathematics: Building kindergarten mathematical competency through engagement with immigrant families
- Using digital games to develop multilingual kindergarten children´s mathematical language
- Photography and picture editing in kindergarten as stimulating activities for learning mathematics