Math Instructional Practices within Preschool/Kindergarten Gifted Programs

Math instructional practices/materials utilized by teachers in early childhood programs for gifted three-, four-, and five-years have been discussed in this article. Information was collected for a study that examined specific math practices utilized by teachers in gifted preschool/kindergarten programs within the United States. Results indicated that most respondents used unstructured activities (e.g., discovery learning, learning centers) in small groups when providing math instruction. Although the teachers exposed the gifted children to concepts generally introduced to older students; they most frequently taught concepts found in traditional early childhood programs. Children were infrequently exposed to concepts/materials pertaining to time and measurement even though research has indicated that young gifted children often possess advanced capabilities in these areas.