ERIC Number: EJ988531
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0966-9760
EISSN: N/A
The Contribution of External Representations in Pre-School Mathematical Problem Solving
Shiakalli, Maria Angela; Zacharos, Konstantinos
International Journal of Early Years Education, v20 n4 p315-331 2012
Could problem solving be the object of teaching in early education? Could appropriate teaching interventions develop to scaffold children's efforts to solve problems? These were the central questions of this article. The sample consisted of 18 children attending public pre-school in Cyprus. The problem they were asked to solve was to find all solutions of the pentomino. The children's problem solving was supported by graphically representing their solutions on squared paper. The findings show that children responded positively to the problem and were successful in finding all solutions for the specific problem. The graphical representation of the solutions and the forms of teacher-children and children-children interactions played an important role in the positive outcome of the activity. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Problem Solving, Teaching Methods, Early Childhood Education, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Preschool Children, Preschool Education, Graphs, Mathematics Activities, Problem Sets, Learning Processes, Educational Practices
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Cyprus
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A