The Kindergarten Math Classroom: Where is the Teacher?

The teacher's role in the Kindergarten classroom is to act as a facilitator in a students' learning, including when learning math. The teacher must observe and assess student thinking during exploration and play, as many of the math concepts that are essential for a student to learn occurs naturally through play.

The teacher in the classroom must use resources and strategies in a way that improves their students' attitudes and confidence in mathematics (Colgan, L. 2014, p. 1). According to Colgan (2014), teachers need to use attention grabbers and tools to create positive "magnitudes" among students (p. 1). In the Kindergarten classroom this occurs when math is integrated throughout the day during play as well as during teacher guided learning such as during small group instruction of math concepts (for example a small group lesson on how to count using ten frames), asking probing inquiry-generating questions, and during large group discussions and math talks.

The teacher in collaboration with the Early Childhood Educator (ECE) in the classroom, must critically observe student learning during both teacher-directed and student-centered learning experiences. Educators can do this by taking thorough documentation of student learning, by taken anecdotal notes of students' comments, discussions, and learning experiences. Educators should also use photo and video documentation of student learning. Audio recordings can also be made in order to document student learning as well. These ways of assessing learning should be used to create learning stories for all students in the class in order to document and record student progress from the beginning to the end of the school year.

While the teacher is documenting student learning during inquiry, play, small, and large group discussions, he or she should also be asking students probing questions that can lead students into deeper and more meaningful thinking about mathematics. Children need to be able to demonstrate their learning according to the Growing Success document's, "Achievement Chart", including demonstrating Knowledge and Understanding, Thinking, Communication, and Application, in order to thoroughly master mathematical skills and be ready to move on to learning about new ideas.

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