Physical-knowledge activities for the development of logico-mathematical knowledge

Abstract

This chapter describes six physical-knowledge activities based on Piaget’s theory. Physical-knowledge activities are those in which children act on objects physically and mentally to produce a desired effect. In Pick-Up Sticks, for example, children try to pick up as many sticks as possible without making any other stick move. The purpose of these activities is to encourage children to think, thereby developing logico-mathematical knowledge, which serves as the framework for organizing all knowledge. Pick-Up Sticks is not a new activity. However, I modified it to motivate children to think. For example, I reduced the number of sticks to about eight so that children can tell which stick is not touching any other stick, which one is on top of another, and which one is touching two sticks, etc. The effectiveness of physical-knowledge activities was evaluated by comparing two groups of first graders. Both groups came to first grade without any number concepts, but one group received traditional math instruction while the other group engaged in physical-knowledge activities during the math hour for half a year. The second group did much better in mental math as well as in solving word problems.