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under responsibility of the editorial board of the journal ISSN 2323-7414; ISSN-L 2323-7414 online
Investigating RightStart Mathematics
Kindergarten Instruction in Finland
Riikka Mononen a, Pirjo Aunio b, & Tuire Koponen c
a-b University of Helsinki, Department of Teacher Education, Special Education, c Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, corresponding authora, e-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT: This study investigated the effects of RightStart Mathematics instruction on Finnish kindergartners’ mathematics performance. The RightStart group (n = 38) received instruction that followed the RightStart Mathematics program, replacing their typical mathematics instruction, from their kindergarten teachers during the kindergarten year. A comparison group (n = 32) received business-as-usual Finnish mathematics instruction. Early mathematics skills (i.e., counting, number comparison, and addition facts knowledge) significantly improved in both groups during the kindergarten year. No statistically significant difference was found in early mathematics performance between the groups after the instruction phase. The counting skills of initially low-performing children improved in both groups to the level of typically performing children. In first grade, six months after the kindergarten instruction ended, no statistically significant difference was found in mathematics performance between the RightStart and comparison groups. The results are discussed in the context of need and possibilities of educational support.
Keywords: core instruction, kindergarten mathematics, low-performing children
Introduction
Internationally and in Finland, there has been a need for legal and practical actions to
develop educational support in order to meet the growing diversity in children’s
learning support needs (Gersten & Newman-Gonchar, 2011; Finnish Ministry of
Education, 2007). The educational support system in several countries is
operationalized on three tiers: general support, intensified support, and special support
(e.g., Gersten, Beckmann, et al., 2009). An assumption in the three-tier model is that the
first-level support, general education, is valid and relevant. Along with implementing the
TABLE 1 Key Objectives of the RightStart and the Kindergarten of the Little Forest Programs
According to the Manuals
RightStart Mathematics Kindergarten Kindergarten of the Little Forest Numeration Classification and seriation
Can count out 31 objects and arrange in groups of tens Can recognize quantities 1 to 100 and represent them on abacus Knows even numbers to 20 Knows odd numbers to 19 Can count by twos to 30 Can count by fives to 100 Can count by tens to 100
With object and pictures Number word-quantity-symbol relations
In the number range 1-20
Odd and even numbers Number word sequences
Forward and backwards, in the number range 0-20
Comparison (more, less, equal)
Money With quantities and numbers in the number range 0-20
Knows name and value of penny, nickel, and dime (or value of coins of cents and euro in the Finnish version)
Addition and subtraction Partition numbers 1-10 into parts Problem solving
Place value Addition and subtraction word problems
Knows 10 ones is 1 ten Knows 10 tens is 1 hundred Knows, for example, 37 as 3-ten 7
Introduction to place value 20-100 Measurement (with nonstandard measure) Length and Mass
Addition Geometry
Understands addition as combining parts to form whole Can partition numbers 3 to 10 into parts Knows number combinations equal to 10 Knows number combinations up to 10
Circle, square, triangle, symmetry Time
Clock (hour) Days of the week Months of the year
Subtraction Introduction to money (euros)
Understands subtraction as missing addend Understands subtraction as separating
Problem solving
Can solve addition problems Can solve missing addend problems Can solve basic subtraction problems
Geometry
Knows mathematical names of triangle, rectangle, and circle Knows parallel and perpendicular lines Can continue a pattern on the geoboard
Time
Knows days of the week Knows months of the year Can tell time to the hour Can tell time to the half hour
Measurement
Can determine length with nonstandard measure
Fractions
Can divide into halves and fourths Knows unit fractions up to 1/16
In future studies, observations in classrooms should be included, in addition to
teacher-reported logbooks, to provide more information about how in practice teachers
implement the program. In addition, the follow-up period after the instruction phase
should be more controlled, as this may affect the Time 3 results. For instance, regarding
the mathematics program and instruction method used in the classroom, and possible
intensified support offered for some children. As children in the RS group seemed to be
motivated towards mathematics activities according to their teachers, it might be
valuable in future studies to observe and collect data more carefully, whether
motivation and interest in mathematics learning in kindergarten has any long term
effects on children’s mathematics learning outcomes. Furthermore, workshops with
professional development tutoring for teachers during the instruction phase would
provide sharing experiences with other teachers, and keep up with the intended pace,
but might also connect research and practice together more (Haseler, 2008).
Conclusion
The study contributed and showed that RightStart Mathematics and typical Finnish
mathematics core instruction improved the mathematics learning (i.e., oral and object
counting, number comparison skills, and addition facts knowledge) of kindergartners
similarly. In addition, the counting skills of low-performing children improved to the
level of their typically performing peers in both groups.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank Dr. Joan Cotter for her cooperation related to using the RightStart
Mathematics program in our study. We also wish to thank all the participating teachers,
children, and research assistants.
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