Too often, we think of early primary learners as empty recepticles to be filled. However, this is when creativity and ingenuity is most unfettered and/or non self-conscious.

How then can we draw out what early primary students already know and think about Math? How might we get students to make conjectures and extend their thinking?

I hope you will listen in to our recent conversation with Chepina Rumsey, professor at the University of Northern Iowa, and Jody Guarino, professor at UC Irvine, about their book - Nurturing Math Curiosity - and fostering Math curiosity.

In our conversation, we discuss a range of related topics including the importance of effective questioning, the four stages of early primary student argumentation, the importance of using concrete and representational models of Math to draw out student knowledge and curiosity, and on why a lack of writing and reading skills in early primary students is not an impediment to early student math discourse and/or argumentation.

Chepina Rumsey LinkedIn Page

Jody Guarino LinkedIn Page

Nurturing Math Curiosity Book

Tools to Support K-2 Students in Mathematical Argumentation

Music by Aylex