Mathematical Language and Early Math Learning

Abstract

This chapter presents an interview of the Susan Levine, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. It focuses on the role that language plays in the development of mathematical skills. Levine explains that the low-income students were able to add and subtract just like their more economically advantaged peers on problems involving small set sizes long as the language of mathematics did not have to be processed. Levine's research suggests that the difference in language exposure has an impact on children's language skills and hence their math performance. Levine and colleagues have found that number talk is not the only type of mathematical talk that helps children. Levine's research suggests that language and math skills are strongly connected: the math-related language that children hear and build into their own vocabularies helps them make sense of their mathematical world. Levine said that research does indicate that other types of language are related to children's mathematical thinking.