The Views of Teachers with Project Experience on Early Mathematics

Abstract

This study included 15 pre-school teachers with experience in mathematics-based projects to examine their views on early mathematics. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the teachers and analyzed by content analysis method. As a result of the study, the teachers stated that they were primarily based on the cognitive domain acquisitions and basic mathematical skills emphasized in the Ministry of National Education pre-school education program and that children had difficulty with three-dimensional shapes, time, reasoning-association, graphing, measurement, and right–left discrimination. In addition, while organizing the early mathematics education process, it was determined that they paid attention to being in contact with families, thinking that mathematics is a whole, ensuring that children learn from concrete to abstract and notice the mathematics in their environment, preferring methods such as observation, evaluation according to achievements, conversations/dialogues and asking questions to evaluate individual differences, and trying to reduce individual differences with individual support, cooperation with family, and peer learning. It was determined that the mathematics projects provide positive reactions from families, sharing information with colleagues and academicians, and conducting research, and that they made suggestions such as in-service training, being open to learning, family involvement, qualified undergraduate education, mathematics activity collection, and e-Twinning projects for quality early mathematics education.