EXPERIENCE FIRST
The
concepts of math and geometry as symbols on paper make sense after
sensorial experience. Removed from real objects these studies become dry
and meaningless. Children naturally have an interest in all aspects of
mathematics, weight, order, systems, series, time, quantities and
symbols, and so forth. We can serve the development of the mathematical
mind by feeding this interest, giving sensorial experiences first, and
only then their representatives on paper.
Sometimes
people think there is something magic about sensorial math materials.
Yes, the materials are certainly ingenious, but the real value of
manipulatives is that they support the natural love of math concepts and
activities that occurs early in life. These activities include:
counting, sorting, classifying objects, experiences with series of sizes
and colors, weighing and measuring, carrying out housework such as dish
washing, with many sequential, logical steps—these are activities that
nourish the mathematical mind.
MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS
When
the first Casa dei Bambini in Rome was opened in the beginning of the
20th century the children were not taught math until they asked if they
could study it. It was when the 3-6 children asked to use the math
materials from the elementary classes and were more successful at
learning these concepts (!) that math began to be an important part of
Children’s Houses for children from the age of three to six.
Many
people misunderstand, at first, what it means to learn math at this
age. They remember how they learned the multiplication tables for
example—tedious and boring, hours of painful repetition that was
certainly not the first choice of activities.
In the 3-6 class,
children love to learn the quantities and symbols for numbers in the
thousands. They often learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division with the decimal system and with fractions, simultaneously.
None of this work is required of the children, but it is offered,
presented with manipulative materials to one child at a time—by the
adult and sometimes another child. There are no teachers lecturing to a
group of children who are required to sit still and listen. The children
choose this work, and repeat each step with joy and enthusiasm until
they are ready to move to the next step.
Certainly not every
child masters or even works with every piece of math material in the 3-6
class. The main point is that an enjoyable and interesting introduction
to all of the areas of geometry and math are present in the
environment. The child is introduced to each activity as she is ready,
and given the choice of whether or not to continue to work with it. In
the meantime, she is surrounded by other children joyfully exploring
math.
Math and geometry are presented and treated in the same way
as art, building with blocks, music, gardening, and all other subjects.
What a different and wonderful introduction to a subject detested and
feared by many of us adults.
A child who is allowed to explore
with real mathematical objects at an early, motor-sensorial age stands a
good chance of becoming a real math lover later in life. If his
passions lie elsewhere, at least he will be exempt from the math phobia
that so many of us experience because of our own less-than-joyful
introductions to this area of learning.
Math and geometry
materials do not have to be expensive; they can be made of cardboard
cubes, strings of beads, blocks, and beans, anything that helps the
child grasp the concept through her senses.
In fact, the more
one uses everyday objects for comparing, measuring, counting, and
carrying out any other mathematical processes, the more math becomes a
part of the real, practical, everyday life of the child.
