在南加州某座城市統計，幼兒從小開始學習數學，會更有機會上大學和成為成功人士。這種理科教育能補缺幼兒腦袋裡面的一些空隙，讓他們為將來鋪上數字階梯走到屬於他們成功的大道。我們一探究竟它的奧秘吧！
COSTA MESA – The earlier students start learning math, the more likely they will attend college and land in high-demand careers.
That’s the message from a conference aimed at promoting prekindergarten education in science, technology, engineering and math, a core commonly referred to as STEM.
More than 500 educators, researchers and business leaders from local school districts, UC Irvine, Caltech and other universities and companies are gathering for the Early Childhood Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference. The event at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa began Thursday and concludes today.
“Early math education has been a critical missing piece of a child’s development,” said event organizer Susan Wood, executive director of the Children’s Center at Caltech. “One of the things we know about young children is that they are a fertile ground for learning.”
She said that by the time children start kindergarten, they should know basic concepts of math, including how to count, add and subtract. Children also should understand basic concepts of engineering, including how to assemble structures with building blocks, she said.
Educators say those early skills are necessary so children can begin learning other STEM disciplines sooner to better prepared to compete globally.
The conference’s panel discussions and workshops focus on giving early-childhood educators practical training to better arm children with those tools. The conference also aims to raise awareness about the critical shortage of professionals in STEM fields.
Greg Duncan, a professor at UC Irvine who has researched early-childhood education, said children can start learning some STEM concepts soon after birth.
“The research is just amazing about children’s intuition for learning,” said Duncan, the conference’s keynote speaker. Duncan said that children as young as age 3 can understand basic fractions.
Duncan also said parental involvement at an early age is the key to developing in children a lifelong appreciation for learning.
“A lot of the math kids first learn comes from interactions with parents,” he said. “It’s not about pulling out flash cards. It can take place at the grocery story, with kids learning to count the fruit in a bag. It can be done in a fun way.”
** Credit to: Orange County Register
Contact the writer: 714-704-3773 or fleal@ocregister.com
Original Article原文請按此: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/children-650425-learning-early.html