Language, Literacy, and Math with Doug Clements

Doug Clements argues that language arts and mathematics are not mutually exclusive skills.

There’s something fundamental about the thinking that kids do in a good early math program that helps multiple areas.

Doug Clements is a Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, a professor, and the Executive Director of the Marsico Institute of Early Learning and Literacy at the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. He also helped coauthor the report of President Bush’s National Math Council and the new Curriculum Focal Points for early childhood produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

The Early Math Collaborative, supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, held international symposia in 2009 and 2010. The two events brought experts from around the world to share approaches to early mathematics education with teachers, administrators, policy-makers, and other education professionals. The goal was to generate globally-informed ideas and recommendations for improving math instruction in the early childhood classroom. In breakout discussions and plenary sessions, participants brainstormed ideas, identified issues, and recommended actions.