The mathematics education of pre-school teachers

Abstract

The foundation for children's mathematical development is established in the early childhood through experiences which challenge infants and preschoolers to explore ideas related to patterns, shapes, numbers and space. These early experiences influence significantly children's disposition for mathematics, hence they need to be positive and supportive. The ability of pre-school teachers to provide young learners with such experiences requires both profound understanding of fundamental mathematical ideas and positive attitude toward mathematics. Analysis of the results on the entry test administered to first year students, prospective pre-school teachers, at the Faculty of Pedagogy 'St. Kliment Ohridski ' in Skopje, at the beginning of the semester during five consecutive academic years (2006/07-2010/11) show extremely low levels of initial mathematics competencies of the majority of the students. These results together with research studies in this field establish the need for a high-quality mathematics education to be provided for prospective pre-school teachers within their university studies. The question of what kind of mathematics education is required to equip future pre-school teachers with the competencies to promote young learners' development of mathematical abilities is addressed through theoretical considerations of research studies of mathematics education in early childhood.