Platas co-authors presentation on preschool teachers' math knowledge from Kenya

Associate Professor and Chair of Child & Adolescent Development Linda M. Platas (pictured right) and Yasmin Sitabkhan of RTI International (pictured left) co-authored a presentation, “Preschool Teachers’ Math Knowledge from Kenya,” at the Comparative & International Education Society’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 22.

This presentation shared the results of a study in Kenya in which two groups of preschool teachers were provided with differing supports for early mathematics teaching in their classroom. The overarching goal, in collaboration with national and county governments, was to improve instruction for 4- to 6-year-old children. Findings showed that teachers who felt that classroom support for early mathematics development was age-appropriate also had stronger confidence in their mathematics teaching and gained marginally more knowledge about early math development.