Alice Klein, Research Psychologist
Prentice Starkey, Professor of Early Childhood Education

    This project addresses issues that lie at the intersection of two national education goals: readiness to learn, and mathematics and science achievement. The overarching goal of the project is to devise ways to support young children’s mathematical development.

    We are developing and evaluating a culturally and developmentally appropriate pre-kindergarten math curriculum comprising eight topical units: (1) enumeration and number sense, (2) arithmetic reasoning, (3) spatial sense, (4) geometric reasoning, (5) unit construction and pattern sense, (6) logical reasoning, (7) measurement, and (8) computer math. The arithmetic unit, for example, includes a division activity (dividing a set of concrete objects into two equal subsets) and addition and subtraction activities such as using finger counting to solve problems such as "Three bears and one bear make how many bears altogether?"

    Preschool teachers learn a classroom math curriculum through a series of two workshops. They then implement the curriculum in their classroom. In addition, parents of pre-kindergarten children learn a home math curriculum that parallels the classroom math curriculum. Teachers demonstrate math activities to parent-child dyads during a series of home curriculum classes. Dyads are then given an opportunity to try the activities with assistance from teachers as necessary. Parents are then given guide sheets and some materials to use at home with their children.

    The Harold E. Jones Child Study Center has been an integral part of our project. We have our administrative office at the Child Study Center and have pilot-tested all activities in the East Classroom. Barbara Scales has participated in the project as a pilot-test teacher and teacher-consultant. The children from the West Classroom and their parents have participated in our study as "comparison subjects" who did not receive the curriculum (1996-1997) and as "demonstration subjects" who received the curriculum (1997-1998). Berta Ortega-Plate has participated in the project as a field-test teacher. We have conducted four teacher workshops at the Child Study Center, and CSC children participated in practice sessions as teachers learned the activities. In drawing up guidelines for best pre-kindergarten practices, the California Department of Education site visited one of our demonstration classrooms.

    We have been evaluating this curriculum in regard to the effectiveness of three instructional approaches that preschool teachers and parents can use to support early mathematical development: (1) teacher-guided small group activities, (2) math learning center activities, including computer math activities, and (3) parent-child dyadic activities. Assessments of middle-class children’s developing mathematical knowledge indicate that demonstration children experienced significantly more growth in mathematical knowledge during their pre-kindergarten year than comparison children. We are currently assessing mathematical growth in a sample of economically disadvantaged children attending Head Start and California State Preschool programs.

The Berkeley Math Readiness Project is funded by the US Department of Education/OERI.