Enhancing economically disadvantaged children's school readiness through a Pre-K mathematics curriculum

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prentice Starkey ◽  
Alice Klein ◽  
Lydia Deflorio ◽  
Christine Genero
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Economically Disadvantaged ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum

Indigenous Language Speaking Students Learning Mathematics in English: Expectations of and for Teachers

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cris Edmonds-Wathen
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Indigenous Language ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Teacher Interviews ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Australian English

Effective mathematics teaching for Indigenous language speaking students needs to be based on fair expectations of both students and teachers. Concepts of ‘age-appropriate learning’ and ‘school readiness’ structure assessment expectations that entire cohorts of Indigenous language speaking students are unable to meet. This institutionalises both student and teacher failure, as both are exhorted to meet unachievable expectations. The voices of teachers teaching in a very remote school provide insight into teachers’ responses to the mismatch between the system expectations and the teaching context. Teacher interviews in a small Northern Territory school, conducted within an ethnographic study, showed that teachers’ decisions regarding the level of mathematics curriculum taught were informed by students’ prior learning and by the language dynamic in their classrooms. The need and pressure to teach Standard Australian English also affected how mathematics was taught. This leads to a reformulation of the concept of school readiness to ask how schools can be more ready for their Indigenous language speaking students in terms of preparing and supporting teachers.

What's Going On

1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 33
Keyword(s):  
Economically Disadvantaged ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Summer Programs ◽  
State School ◽  
Information Contact ◽  
Educationally Disadvantaged ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Science And Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Computer Studies ◽  
Mathematics And Science

New nonprofit company to improve science and mathematics curriculum for economically disadvantaged in michigan. Three new summer programs for economically disadvantaged Michigan youth, designed to enrich skills in mathematics and science, were offered through a newly formed nonprofit company, Mid-Michigan Minority Pre-Engineering Program, or M3-PEP. Several major Michigan corporations have joined state school systems and colleges to encourage achievement in science and mathematics among educationally disadvantaged and minority youth. Their partnership ultimately will affect thousands of Michigan students and hundreds of science and mathematics teachers. M3-PEP's first programs are for elementary- and intermediate-aged students and will include training in computers and other technical areas. One teaching seminar in computer studies is also planned. For more information contact E. S. Frasch, M3-PEP, P.O. Box 1382, Midland, MI 48640.

scholarly journals Social and geographical inequalities in school starting age in Australia: a population data linkage study

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hanly ◽  
Kathleen Falster ◽  
Rhonda Craven ◽  
Louisa Jorm
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Economically Disadvantaged ◽  
School Entry ◽  
First Year ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Birth Registry ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Delayed School Entry

ABSTRACT ObjectiveIn Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), children must start school in the year they turn five, unless they are born between February-July, in which case they can delay starting until the year they turn six. Consequently, children start their first year of school aged 4.5-6 years. This may translate into a wide range of developmental ability in the classroom in the first year of school and may impact on the magnitude of inequalities in longer-term educational outcomes. To inform how this policy currently translates into the demographic composition of NSW classrooms, this study aims to identify child, family, and area-level characteristics associated with the practice of delaying school entry. ApproachThe ‘Seeding Success’ study cohort (N=154,936) includes an almost complete population of children who started school in NSW in 2009 or 2012, and were born in NSW, identified by linking the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data to perinatal and birth registry data. Restricting this analysis to the 88,716 (57%) children born in February-July, we defined ‘delayed school entry’ as children who were eligible to start school the previous year (i.e. 2008 or 2011), but started in the AEDC data collection years (i.e. 2009 or 2012). Multilevel regression models were used to investigate child, family and area-level characteristics associated with delayed school entry. ResultsThe prevalence of delayed school entry was 46% in the 2009 AEDC cohort and 47% in the 2012 AEDC cohort. Boys and children born closer to July were more likely to be delayed, as were children of older mothers. Prevalence of delay was similar in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, however, children of mothers born overseas were less likely to delay school entry compared to Australian-born mothers. Delaying was less common in major cities compared to remote and regional areas, and less common in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. ConclusionChildren born in February-July who live in socio-economically disadvantaged urban areas are more likely to start school up to a year earlier than their peers, with poorly understood educational consequences. The current policy on school starting age results in an 18-month age range in classrooms, which may be challenging for teachers and confusing for parents who need to make a decision regarding their child’s ‘school readiness’. It is likely that access and affordability of childcare during the study period impacted on parent’s decisions about when to send their children to school.

scholarly journals Developmental Effects of Davydov’s Mathematics Curriculum in Relation to School Readiness Level and Teacher Experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Sidneva
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Expert Assessment ◽  
Experienced Teacher ◽  
Voluntary Regulation ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Developmental Effects ◽  
Readiness Level

Davydov’s mathematics curriculum was designed according to the principles of the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). In this study, we analyzed some developmental effects of its realization in Grade 1 (N = 46, two classes), in relation to the children’s school readiness level (specifically, their motivation, voluntary regulation, and intellectual development), and their teacher’s experience (a very experienced teacher in one class, and a less experienced one in the other). We assessed two groups of developmental effects: (1) some general math abilities (comparison of objects, measurement and ability to solve simple problems of addition and subtraction); and (2) some abilities, which are very specific to Davydov’s mathematics curriculum (i.e., the ability to put numbers on a number line and to measure quantity using different measures). At the beginning of the Grade 1, we divided all participants into three groups according to their level of motivation (low, medium, or high), voluntary regulation (low, medium, or high), and logical preservation (low, medium, or high) in terms of J. Piaget. After 1 year (at the beginning of Grade 2) we measured general effects again and also measured specific effects. The results showed that all the children became significantly better in all general math abilities. It was also found that progress in math abilities does not depend on the initial level of school readiness of children. Children with different levels of voluntary regulation, motivational readiness, and the level of logical preservation show improvements in general math abilities. As for the mathematical skills specific to the Davydov’ program, the achieved level of their development (both according to the test results and the results of the expert assessment by the teacher) is also not related to the initial parameters of readiness for school. Also, there were no differences in improvements in general effects and in specific effects between the classes with experienced and not-so-experienced teacher. So, there are some reasons to believe that the level of the child’s actual development does not play a fundamental role for education, which built in accordance with the principles of CHAT.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document