Building Mathematical Competencies in Early Childhood

"This film brings early math alive for early childhood teachers in almost as innovative a way as the mathematics thinking the film features. The Early Mathematics Education Project is charting new territory in teaching us how to help young children become mathematically literate by helping us understand that math surrounds us in nearly everything we do."

--Samuel J. Meisels, President, Erikson Institute

451 North LaSalle Street Chicago, Illinois 60654-4510 312 893-7100 (Tel) 312 755-0133 (Fax) www.erikson.edu

"Congratulations to the Davidson Films team responsible for the recently released project, Building Mathematical Competencies in Early Childhood. This film has conveniently arrived as Ohio begins transitioning to their recently adopted Early Learning and Development Standards. As I have been providing professional development related to early childhood mathematics and the new standards, this film will be particularly useful as I work within my region to improve the mathematical experiences of our early learners. The thinking behind using attributes as a mechanism to match, sort, classify and order objects is often a concept that adults overlook. The questioning modeled by the teachers provides specific examples of how we can help children make connections from attributes to number, geometry and measurement. I am eager to utilize this film in my next professional development offering."

--Catherine Schulte, Math/School Improvement Supervisor Clermont County ESC- Batavia, OH

"Early childhood math instruction should involve more than teaching counting and shape identification, according to this well-organized program, in which three educators stress that both math and literacy proficiency are necessary to help children succeed in school. The hosts begin by dispelling many current myths about mathematics and early childhood education, including that children will simply absorb math principles without formal instruction. The program presents five “Big Ideas” that young students need to learn and comprehend, including the mechanics of measurement. Frequent clips of teachers interacting with urban prekindergarten students model the presented concepts, with onscreen captions and lists reinforcing information and technical terms. A final segment offers classroom suggestions and demonstrations. Although primarily for teachers, this pricey title, which includes public-performance rights, can also be used by parents who homeschool or are eager to give their young ones a head start in school."

--Candace Smith, Booklist Online

"The DVD “Building Mathematical Competencies in Early Childhood” is an enlightening film showing the ideal landscape of rich mathematical experiences that can and should be provided for every young child. This film also captures, globally, the nature of the interesting and engaging professional learning experiences made possible by the experts at the Erikson Institute. The pedagogical content knowledge is presented with a relevant focus on student learning and is appropriate for a variety of audiences, including teacher leaders and teachers. With this overall view of the “BIG ideas” and illustrations of enactment, teachers are more likely to understand the developmental trajectories and how to best design instructional play for advancing student confidence and competence."

--Alice Gabbard, Senior Director, Kentucky Center for Mathematics