| Studies generally agree that mathematics learning is an important foundation for children’s cognitive development and future academic achievement.However,there is an asymmetric relationship between the high abstraction of mathematics and the specific thinking characteristics of young children,which some scholars have described as "Big Math and little kids".How little kids learn big mathematics is a topic of common concern in early childhood education in various countries.Montessori provided a series of learning aids for children to learn abstract mathematics.Although there are comments that the operation of these Montessori mathematical tools is too rigid and mechanized,in any case,children learn mathematics through the operation of the tools,so that the asymmetric relationship between abstract mathematics and children’s figurative thinking tends to balance.The introduction of Montessori education into China has had a great impact on the primary school of preschool mathematics,triggering many changes in preschool mathematics teaching in China,one of which is that the collective education model of preschool mathematics has been changed to regional learning that includes mathematics.Relevant studies at home and abroad have mostly made various comments on children’s mathematical regional learning from the perspective of bystanders,but have not fully appreciated children’s feelings and teachers’ ideas from practice.Studies have pointed out that child perspectives gives social significance and value to education,and children’s perspectives actually feels the impact of education,both of which are indispensable in the investigation of educational phenomena.Therefore,this study aims to investigate the picture of mathematics activity area from the perspectives of children and teachers in Montessori mathematics teaching and non-Montessori mathematics teaching regular classes in China,and then consider how preschool mathematics can better play a role in kindergarten activity area.This paper selected a private kindergarten in D city that has both regular and Montessori classes and focuses on regional activities.4 teachers and 16 children were selected in the regular class and Montessori class.Using the interview method comprehensively for teachers and children,and at the same time allowing children to use the mosaic method composed of photography,magic carpet,painting and other methods to collect the original materials of the kindergarten mathematics activity area from different perspectives.NViovo12 qualitative analysis software was used to encode and analyze the collected raw data.The study shows that the kindergarten mathematics activity area in regular and Montessori classes,children’s perspectives and child perspectives all involve the categories of "physical environment" and "human environment",but the focus of each perspective is different in the specific category.First,children’s perspective is more focused on their own interests,talents,temperament,and personal experiences in life and play.The child perspectives pays more attention to the embodiment and application of educational goals in the mathematics activity area.Second,the regular class places more emphasis on creating a mathematics activity area based on the real-life background,and subtly learns and applies mathematics in problem solving.Montessori classes are more focused on the role of instantiated and specialized Montessori mathematical materials.On this basis,this paper starts from breaking the binary opposition and understanding the problem from multiple perspectives,and suggests that we should not only respect children’s views,but also give full play to teachers’ professional guidance,develop existing educational concepts,and learn from each other,so as to promote dialogue and learning from the perspectives of children and teachers,regular classes and Montessori classes in the mathematics activity area. |
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