The Nature of Communication in Early Childhood in the Contexts of Home and School

This chapter addresses the possible forms of mathematical communication that might occur in the classroom for children between the ages of 4 and 8, and the role of play, language, and emotion in the child’s learning. Rather than consider specifically mathematical communication, I focus on the nature of communication in general during this period. In order to better understand the child’s situation at this time, the chapter examines the following areas:

The social setting of the child between ages of 4 and 8

Learning in early childhood

The nature of the home context

The nature of the school context

Collaborative learning and reading

Collaborative learning and mathematics