Synthesis of current research literature on young children's Essay

Synthesis of current research literature on young children's mathematical thinking - Essay Example Number sense is a principal Mathematical component learned in the pre-school and junior levels of education. It is a concise understanding of the meaning of numbers and manner in which these numbers relate. Therefore, the number sense is a very basic yet imperative aspect of junior Mathematics learning that is essential for understanding of the subject. The fundamental concepts of the number senses include mental number line, conceptual structure, constitutive awareness, recognition of the numbers, skills, counting, arithmetic and the feel of numbers. These key components of the numbers sense lead to a comprehensive understanding of the Mathematics subjects. The capability of children to comprehend the number sense is an essential predictor of the future competence in the subjects. Learning and understanding of the number sense concept takes a diverse approach. These methods apply to children as young as 3-4 years old in school and throughout the junior levels. However, the number sense is an intrinsic ability built upon the infant minds even before attending formal education. Due to interaction of the children with adults and other peers, this intrinsic ability remains enhanced. It is made better by the formal number sense learning in the junior school and the pre-school levels. In the formal education system, the following methods are applicable to the learning of the number sense.