Early Mathematics Counts: Promising Instructional Strategies for Low- and Middle- Income Countries
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There is a large body of evidence substantiating the importance of mathematical
literacy and the key role of foundational mathematics in early years of education
on later academic outcomes (Duncan et al., 2007; Duncan & Magnuson, 2011;
Hanushek & Woessmann, 2008; Siegler et al., 2012). Despite this, we have little
evidence from low- and middle-income countries on how to better ensure
that students are learning the foundational skills in pre-primary through
lower primary grades. Given that quality of instruction is key, we examined
the evidence for the types of instructional strategies used in low- and middleincome
contexts. We cannot link the effective instructional strategies to learning
outcomes, given the limited information provided in reports we reviewed.
However, understanding which strategies are used, and how they manifest in
different contexts, is an important first step to understanding which strategies
are effective for learning. This brief summarizes our review paper
(Sitabkhan & Platas, 2018).