How Children Learn Number Concepts: A Guide to the Critical Learning Phases

by Kathy Richardson

A must-have book for everyone wanting to know how young children develop and understanding of number concepts. Kathy Richardson has identified the predictable stages, or Critical Learning Phases, children go through as they develop the mathematical understanding that is essential to building a solid foundation of numerical reasoning. This important resource will help all math educators and parents of young children understand how children make sense of numbers and what mathematics they are ready to learn at each phase of development.

Genres: Teaching, Mathematics, Education

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful resource for teachers of young children. Straightforward and comprehensive guide on how children develop an understanding of number and how teachers can encourage students to make sense of number relationships.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-laid out and very accessible book about children's developmental progressions in learning mathematics. The work dovetails nicely with AVMR but goes into more specifics about different steps children need to take to move forward in each area of number concepts, making it a great resource for supporting instruction after assessment and answering the "what do we need to work on now?" question. In addition, the language is more on the conversational / explanatory side than technical, which can help when trying to communicate these trajectories to people with less math background. Helpful and highly recommended for anybody working in preK-5 mathematics!

[Pam Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning more about the critical learning phases. Can’t wait to get stared with kids in math and refer back to this book to guide instruction when school starts.

[Erin Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read with many ideas for teaching number concepts and verifying that children have learned a concept before moving on. Something I will come back to again and again.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an invaluable resource for both parents and teachers who want to teach children to understand mathematics. It was written by Kathy Richardson, a mathematics educator, who has made it her life's work to uncover how children learn math and how teachers can teach so that children understand. It begins with Counting and continues on through Number Relationships, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, and Place Value. I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand how children learn mathematics.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book that should be read by anyone that teaches children math.