ABSTRACT
When one speaks of first steps in acquisition of addition and subtraction, does one have in mind the concrete operations with objects (i.e., collecting, adding, removing real objects, and keeping track of their quantity), or does one think of mathematical operations with numbers? The answer to this question is not always clear. There is no dispute concerning the fact that a child entering formal schooling (at the age of 5 or 6) has already gained a considerable amount of experience with real objects, collecting them, distributing them, removing them, etc. The dispute starts when one is evaluating the role of such experience in the child’s future mathematical learning. The dispute reflects a difference in approach from an epistemological point of view.
