Douglas Clements and Julie Sarama – From cognition to curriculum to scale: Learning trajectories for early math

Many in the USA claim that their curricula or approach to teaching are based on research, but few explicate their claims. We address weaknesses in the field by presenting a model that is based on coordinated interdisciplinary research ranging from cognitive science to scale-up. We discuss the instantiation of that model within early mathematics, emphasizing how standards, curriculum, professional development, implementation, and scale-up all benefit from a shared core of learning trajectories. We document the efficacy of this approach and suggest it be tested at other grade levels and on other subjects.

Douglas Clements homepage
Julie Sarama homepage