Abstract:

The quality of professional competences of teachers is regarded as one of the key preconditions for increasing the level of pre-school education and of facilitating the kindergarten to elementary school transition. The development of mathematical pre-literacy of children in the context of their overall personality development is an important component of the professional competence of kindergarten teachers. By mathematical pre-literacy we mean a set of developing prerequisites for mathematics in the time preceding the start of elementary education. In our paper we include information on findings of a research into how Czech kindergarten teachers and prospective teachers reflect their readiness to develop mathematical pre-literacy of children. The data were obtained from 613 respondents by means of a questionnaire prepared by the author. The outcomes indicate that the respondents view themselves as sufficiently trained for developing children’s mathematical pre-literacy and that this is thanks to their previous secondary school or tertiary education. They believe that their knowledge of mathematics acquired during their secondary school and tertiary studies is sufficient. To improve their professional competences, both teachers and prospective teachers require specific tips immediately applicable in teaching.

Keywords:

Child in pre-school age, kindergarten teacher, mathematical pre-literacy, pre-school education, questionnaire.