ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the traditional theories regarding young children’s cognitive processes which have led to assumptions about the teaching of number, in particular the assumption that mathematical knowledge must be taught linearly in small incremental steps. It reports on research in which rising five-year-olds were encouraged to use a a floor robot, a computer with turtle graphics, Concept keyboard and a counting program to explore the concept of number. Drawing on the theories of Vygotsky (1935), the chapter describes how an adult (the researcher) was able to use information technology as a tool to ‘scaffold’ the children’s learning of the concept of number, by enabling them to explore double-digit numbers and, where appropriate, hundreds and thousands. The chapter ends by suggesting that IT might have the power to transform the teaching and learning of all mathematics.
