Abstract:

The early mathematics in preschool must help the young pupils in the processes of decoding real life, in solving problems, in the revision and integration of hypotheses and in the attribution of meanings. Given the very nature of mathematics, access to mathematical objects can only occur indirectly, through the mediation of semiotic representations (Duval, 2000). To mobilize this process, the teacher must promote the intrinsic motivations of curiosity, lucidity and the pleasure of discovery, which are irreplaceable factors for understanding and interpreting the real world.

The evolution of pedagogical practices makes it possible to diversify the teaching and learning situations during the early years; at the same time, the introduction of new technology into the children’s classroom can make every day educational action more effective through interactive tools that translate experience into more efficient classification systems.

The new technologies are increasingly influencing the ways children are growing, learning, and playing; as a consequence, the educational technology and programming in preschool has also expanded. This trend is not only a national trend but also an ongoing trend in several European countries.

The current National Guidelines issued by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR) pay particular attention to the understanding of technology and the logic of the internet from the earliest levels of education. In fact, at present, the preschool gives more and more space to the practice of coding that favours the achievement of two objectives: learning through programming and developing the habit of solving more or less complex problems.

There are visual programming environments, accessible through apps which are suitable for children of this age, that help develop competencies such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving; competencies that are emphasized in a society of lifelong learning.

This paper seeks to contribute to the debate surrounding children and computer programming by focusing on the use of a visual programming language, such as ScratchJr, in preschool to enhance scientific learning within the logical-mathematic field.

Specifically, the goal of this paper is to present a maths experience in a classroom, taken from an action-research project, realized by the University and the school working together. This aimed at the scientific control of the conditions and procedures in the use of ScratchJr in the field of experience of 'Knowledge of the world', which is one of the five fields that make up the compositional structure of the curriculum of the Italian Infant school.

Keywords:

Early mathematics, Preschool, Programming, ScratchJr.