Edstrom Educational Consulting

I am always fascinated when researchers discover something new about the way humans learn.  I was especially interested in an article published in the New York Times  yesterday, outlining new insights into math development in preschoolers.   The research shows that humans are born with a simple “number instinct”–that is even at a young age, children can distinguish between “more and less” concepts easily.   Infants can even distinguish between one and two, even to three in some cases.  What research is showing is that with experiences in linking physical quantities with higher abstract symbolic representation “7″ and the word (seven), the brain of preschooler can master these concepts.    This numeric “trinity” is critical for mathematics success in kindergarten.   Furthermore, students must cement these concepts so that they become automatic in order to find rapid success with addition and subtraction.  Imagine the frustration of a 5-6 year old in trying to figure out a simple addition/subtraction problem without this type of rapid connection.  When you think about it, is actually not that surprising that preschoolers can deal with larger numbers.  After all, Sesame Street has spent thirty years building sound/letter relationship understanding in preschoolers.  It is not a leap to see how a sound and abstract letter representation is close to a number/quantity relationship outlined above.