SL - CN: A Research-Practice Collaboration to Improve Math Learning in Young Children

这个学习科学合作网络汇集了不同的专家小组，研究数学知识和态度如何共同影响早期数学成绩，并开发工具来促进幼儿园到三年级儿童在家庭和学校的数学学习。该网络专注于早期数学，因为在这个领域的成就是未来学业成功的有力预测指标。此外，数学是科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域职业生涯的基石，我们的技术社会对能够推动创新前沿的STEM劳动力有很高的需求。数学的成功需要学习内容，但也有社会和情感的维度。然而，数学教学通常不涉及情感层面，而是专注于内容。这尤其有问题，因为许多家长和小学教师都有高度的数学焦虑，但对如何促进幼儿的数学学习和兴趣却知之甚少。最终的结果是低数学成绩和高数学焦虑的代际传递循环。为了打破这种循环，该网络汇集了：(a)研究支持数学成就的知识和态度的研究人员；(b)将研究成果转化为有效教育工具的开发人员；(c)在现实学习环境中实施教育工具的从业人员，以及(d)传播此类工具的专家。通过结合这些不同类型的专业知识，该网络将增加对幼儿如何学习数学和培养数学态度的理解。此外，该网络将利用这些知识，为家长和教师开发一个工具包，帮助他们更有效地向来自不同社会经济背景的儿童提供数学指导，从而支持儿童在家和学校的数学学习。该网络将评估该工具包是否改善了儿童的数学学习和数学态度，以及教师和家长的数学态度，并将根据使用该工具包的人的反馈对工具包进行改进。最后，该网络将通过一个公开可用的网站广泛共享该工具包。

This Science of Learning Collaborative Network brings together a diverse group of experts to examine how math knowledge and attitudes together affect early math achievement, and to develop tools to promote math learning at home and in school for children in kindergarten to grade three. The network focuses on early math because achievement in this domain is a powerful predictor of future academic success. Moreover, math is a cornerstone for careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and our technological society has a high need for a STEM workforce that can push the frontiers of innovation. Success in mathematics requires learning content, but also has social and emotional dimensions. Yet math instruction does not typically address the emotional dimension, instead focusing exclusively on content. This is particularly problematic because many parents and elementary school teachers have both high levels of math anxiety and less-than-optimal knowledge of how to promote math learning and interest in young children. The end result is a cycle of inter-generational transmission of low math achievement and high math anxiety. To break this cycle, the network brings together: (a) researchers who study the knowledge and attitudes that support math achievement; (b) developers who translate research findings into effective educational tools; (c) practitioners who implement educational tools in real-world learning settings, and (d) experts in the dissemination of such tools. By combining these different kinds of expertise, the network will increase understanding of how young children learn math and develop attitudes about math. Further, the network will use this knowledge to support children's math learning at home and in school by developing a toolkit for parents and teachers to help them more effectively provide math instruction to children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The network will evaluate whether the toolkit improves children's math learning and math attitudes as well as teachers' and parents' math attitudes, and will refine the toolkit based on feedback from those who are using it. Finally, the network will widely share the toolkit via a publicly available website.