Zoi Nikiforidou

Fairness Through Mathematical Problem Solving in Preschool Education

This chapter reports on a study of fairness in young children. Its aim is to examine how preschoolers respond to mathematical problem-solving contexts that imply fairness and the claim of sharing and distributing. The results suggest that by the age of four, children are cognitively and socially capable, at a certain level, to transmit from their own state of mind to that of the others, overcome self-interest and understand, expect and prefer fairness, while distributing justice.

Probabilistic Thinking and Young Children: Theory and Pedagogy

Over the last decades, there has been a lot of interest in exploring young children’s early probabilistic thinking, considering educational, cognitive and mathematical dimensions in children’s learning and development. Today, probability is incorporated in many mathematical and statistical curricula and the ongoing research on children’s probabilistic competencies has produced remarkable and educationally valuable conclusions. The aim of this chapter is to critically review key theoretical models of probabilistic thinking that cover the period of early childhood and to highlight a number of pedagogical implications while introducing probabilistic concepts in early childhood educational contexts. The traditional Piagetian claim that children during the preoperational period find it difficult to differentiate certainty and uncertainty seems to be replaced by findings that support children’s capacity to engage with notions of probability. Recent research underlines how intuitions and experience, informal mathematical knowledge, probability literacy as well as curriculum development and task design play a significant role in shaping and enhancing preschoolers’ probabilistic thinking, not only while they are young but with a lifelong perspective.

Digital Games in the Early Childhood Classroom: Theoretical and Practical Considerations

Digital games like other forms of play can be scary or fun, challenging or boring, risky or riskless and individual or collective. In every case, they can provide diverse opportunities for learning, exploring and experimenting under the principles of digital game-based learning (DGBL). The current chapter explores the main theoretical implications of the pedagogical value and the use of digital games in early childhood classrooms. The aim is to highlight why and how digital games can be used and embedded effectively within early childhood practice, drawing upon examples of research. Three factors are discussed in detail: aspects related to children’s health and children’s participation, aspects related to the design and content of digital games and aspects related to the role of the practitioner while integrating them in preschool practice. Overall, it is argued that digital games can extend children’s learning experiences through the combination of embodiment, active learning, entertainment and gaming.

‘It is riskier’: preschoolers’ reasoning of risky situations

ABSTRACT Risk is a fundamental component of well-being and is interconnected with all aspects of child development. The aim of this paper is to explore children’s (N = 50) own perspectives and perceptions of risky situations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and images were used as prompts. Children aged five to six years were asked to identify and discuss five risky activities based on Sandseter’s categorization of risky outdoor play. Responses indicated as risk causes were situational aspects of the contexts, the age of the actor and natural hazards. The presence/absence of others seemed to have an impact on identifying risky vs riskier conditions, and physical harm was recorded as a negative outcome. Such findings reveal that causal strength, probabilistic inference, future reasoning, and linguistic capacity are connected with children’s reasoning of risk; in this direction, pedagogical activities on risk could be implemented from the ‘safe’ early childhood classroom.