Episode 57 | The Stories of AIMS - Brook Lewis

Welcome to ZPC Podcast, from time to time I will be interviewing members of the research team here at AIMS. There are many reasons to do this, chief among them is the idea of letting you, our faithful listeners, in on what it is we are “about” here at AIMS these days. Our teams of RAs, as we call them, have been consistently reading important research into how children form number concepts and make meaningful use of these concepts. They also are involved directly in classroom situations where they attempt to put into practice what they are reading. These podcasts then are an attempt to let them tell some stories, stories about what they see, hear, learn and cause in children. So join us as we investigate “The Stories of AIMS”

Research Associate Brook Lewis is in the studio with Chris this week. Brook has been working with students who are in the 6-8 year old range, and she has been working on understanding how these children build their own concepts related to rudimentary multiplication. She relates a story or two about what she observed over time as she watched a child, “Max,” create for himself the ability to “skip count,” by three. What the research indicates is that children who have this type of developmental experience approach multiplication with more robust concepts to build on. A contrast is drawn between this form of instruction and teaching by rote recitation a number pattern like 3, 6, 9, 12...