Number sense and number nonsense. Understanding the challenges of learning math (Q2905525)

The aim of this book is to give an overview of research findings in mathematics education regarding mathematical ability and mathematical disorder. This book addresses school teachers and school psychologists. By giving such an overview, the authors hope to help teachers ``to get into the mind of the student'' (p. 12) and thereby to offer guidelines to better understand individual cognitive disabilities in their mathematical thinking.NEWLINENEWLINEThis book offers a description of a variety of quantitative research findings that are structured and described in three different sections: an unschooled sense of quantity, the importance of mathematical language (including counting and conventional notation) and ``general mental abilities (...) that are not specific to mathematics (...) (such as, F.S.) attention, mental control, working memory'' (p. 13).NEWLINENEWLINEIt is important to note that the authors exclusively refer to (mainly US American) quantitative research in mathematics education. They refer to standards by the U.S. Department of Education (National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance) and cite, that the US American ``NCLB (no child left behind, F.S.) Act came down strongly in favor of quantitative research'' (p. 183). Furthermore, they seem to have evidence, that qualitative research in general does not ``support an educational practice'' (p. 184): ``any study that does not meet strict research criteria (...) cannot be used to support an educational practice. Clearly, this includes qualitative research.'' (p. 183) For a mathematics teacher and researcher in the field of mathematics education that has been socialized in a european research and teaching culture, this kind of systematic ignorance of many important research areas seems to be hardly comprehensible.