How Children Learn Math: The Science of Math Learning in Research and Practice

Written for pre-service and in-service educators, as well as parents of children in preschool through grade five, this book connects research in cognitive development and math education to offer an accessibly written and practical introduction to the science of elementary math learning.

Structured according to children’s mathematical development, How Children Learn Math systematically reviews and synthesizes the latest developmental research on mathematical cognition into accessible sections that explain both the scientific evidence available and its practical classroom application. Written by an author team with decades of collective experience in cognitive learning research, clinical learning evaluations, and classroom experience working with both teachers and children, this amply illustrated text offers a powerful resource for understanding children’s mathematical development, from quantitative intuition to word problems, and helps readers understand and identify math learning difficulties that may emerge in later grades.

Aimed at pre-service and in-service teachers and educators with little background in cognitive development, the book distills important findings in cognitive development into clear, accessible language and practical suggestions. The book therefore serves as an ideal text for pre-service early childhood, elementary, and special education teachers, as well as early career researchers, or as a professional development resource for in-service teachers, supervisors and administrators, school psychologists, homeschool parents, and other educators.

Nancy Krasa is a clinical psychologist and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology at The Ohio State University, USA. She is the author, with Sara Shunkwiler, of Number Sense and Number Nonsense: Understanding the Challenges of Learning Math.

Karen Tzanetopoulos is a speech and language therapist, math learning specialist, lecturer, and owner of Learning to Full Potential, LLC.

Colleen Maas is Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Human Development at the University of Cincinnati, USA, and an affiliate member of the Development and Research in Early Math Education network.