ABSTRACT

This volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the famous and influential work of Jean Piaget and Alina Szeminska, The Child's Conception of Number. It is a tribute to those two authors as well as to the entire Geneva school that pioneered the genetic study of cognitive structures in children. Dealing with the process of the child's construction of the notion of number -- a very important subject for the child as well as for the teacher, the researcher, and the practicing psychologist -- it summarizes the progress that has been made and outlines new research directions in this area. The book is a compilation of the work of the foremost international researchers in this area and includes a wide spectrum of viewpoints and schools of thought. It also introduces several new authors from Europe, including students of Piaget, to the American academic community.

chapter |17 pages

Introduction

part I|132 pages

Encounters with Number and First Acquisitions

chapter 1|22 pages

Learning about Numbers

Lessons for Mathematics Education from Preschool Number Development

chapter 2|25 pages

A Tool for Number Construction

Finger Symbol Sets

part II|78 pages

Structure of the Numerical Domain

chapter 7|20 pages

Number Conservation

Distinguishing Quantifier from Operator Solutions

chapter 9|18 pages

Subitizing

The Discontinuity after Three

chapter 10|9 pages

From Number to Numbers in Use

Solving Arithmetic Problems

chapter 11|9 pages

The Appropriation of the Concept of Number

A Lengthy Process

part III|79 pages

Theories and Methods

chapter 13|20 pages

Number Transcribing by Children

Writing Arabic Numbers Under Dictation

chapter 14|18 pages

Understanding the Microgenesis of Number

Sequence Analyses

chapter 15|24 pages

Learning Addition and Subtraction

Effects of Number Words and Other Cultural Tools

part IV|41 pages

Difficulties and Remediation

part V|14 pages

Conclusion

chapter 18|13 pages

Assessment and Perspectives