Griffin, S.A., Case, R., & Siegler, R.S. (1994). Rightstart: Providing the central conceptual prerequisites for first formal learning of arithmetic to students at risk for school failure. In K. McGilly (ed), Classroom lessons: Cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 25-49). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/Bradford Book.

1. American kids not doing as well as other countries esp. kids from poor inner city areas.

   what could be causing the knowledge gap?

   • not teaching intuitive math
   • assumption of many programs is that all kids have similar progression & intuitive knowledge

2. 3 types of students
   • good students who had good retrieval & back up strategies
   • not-so-good students who had poor retrieval & back up strategies
   • perfectionists who had good retrieval but still used back ups to ensure correct answer.

   What do unseen strategies tell us what about these children?

   • have strategies but don't understand processes?
   • why would anyone count from neither addend?

3. 4-stage model (p. 32-33)

   numerosity, cardinality, etc. how & why does the conceptual framework facilitate children's basic understanding of numerosity?

   3 objectives of program evaluation

   • program sufficient to teach knowledge
   • knowledge acquired transferable?
   • knowledge helpful for further instruction?

4. How did they apply the framework into the rightstart program? * any problems? (theoretical, practical) why so much more use of counting from smaller addend in lower class groups?

   replication of finding that lower income kids have knowledge gap

   • what does this say about their mental progression?
     • need some experiences to understand some things,
     • number is not naturally learned by certain age)
   • how do you implement this in all schools?

5. Results doesn't matter that not working accurately??? * seems like still don't understand completely if can't work accurately (maybe just closer) * maybe learning other things like how to express their thought processes