Proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education · Volume 1
Jennifer Way, Katherin Cartwright
University of Sydney
⬇ Download PDFNeuropsychological research has established the value of finger-number representations in mathematical development, yet indecision remains in education. The responses of 31 children (age 6/7 years) when asked to show how they count to ten using their fingers, were videoed, and six months later the task was repeated. Micro-analysis of the Time 1 video clips revealed substantial variety in finger-counting methods, and Time 2 analysis showed that most children changed their method. We argue that more education-focused research is needed to resolve questions such as whether a stable finger-counting pattern is needed to maximise learning benefits
embodied numerosityfinger countingGrade 1