Mathematical Concepts

Created by Mrs. Lorraine Carter, the 5-video Mathematical Concepts series is designed to teach pre-school caregivers simple mathematical and perceptual concepts that they, in turn, can teach their young charges. We watched the first and last programs in the series: Mathematical Concepts for Toddlers 14-24 Months and Mathematical Concepts for Kindergarten/5 Years. The activities in the first tape include cutting up an orange and counting the pieces, reading a story and using one's fingers to count, and exploring the various shapes of common items. Each activity is introduced with an excessive amount of educationalese (the Carter philosophy is that "through the combined efforts of the parent and caregiver, the potential developmental capacity of each child becomes a closer realization") and includes caregiver terms and definitions that occasionally border on the wacky (for instance, the phrase "small muscles" is defined as "hands, fingers, toes and eyes"). The final tape offers a series of tests to measure the progress of children who have been steadily "mathematizing in their home environment." Tests include: "Assessing Classifying and Comparing through Perception" and "Assessing Ordering and Patterning through Concrete Problem-Solving." Ostensibly for parents and caregivers, this series is too jargon-laden to be of much use to parents, though professional day care providers might find it useful. Not a necessary purchase. (See CONCERTO! for availability.)