Myths of Early Math

Douglas Clements,Julie Sarama

doi:10.3390/educsci8020071

Abstract

Myths about early education abound. Many beliefs people hold about early math have a grain of truth in them, but as a whole are not true—they are largely myths. But the myths persist, and many harm children. In this article, we address ubiquitous math myths that may be negatively affecting many young students. We conclude that avoiding the myths and listening to the findings of research and the wisdom of expert practice will serve both teachers and children well.

Highlights

You probably recognized two in the above conversation: first, that only a small number of “talented” people can succeed in mathematics, and second, subtle but as dangerous, the assumption that women do not usually succeed in mathematics
Many other myths exist, such as, “Math is one subject where there’s always one right answer and one way to get that answer.”. Beliefs such as these have a grain of truth in them, but as a whole, are not true
Let us look at some of the most important beliefs that negatively affect young children and separate the fact from the myth for each

Summary

Introduction

Young children can engage in mathematical processes, such as persevere in solving problems, reason and communicate about their reasoning, and search for and understand different kinds of patterns and structure [7,8,9]. Children need to learn mathematical skills and concepts. It is not true that children cannot solve such problems until they know their addition facts [2,10]. 3. “Young Children Must Sit Down and Learn Math.

Results

Conclusion