Measuring temperature within the didaktic space of preschool

The informal character of preschool mathematics, engaged in during children’s play, places complex requirements on preschool teachers. It also leads to challenges in developing appropriate analytical tools for researching teacher work. In this paper a framework, the ”didaktic space”, is described and used to analyse interactions between preschool teachers and children in relationship to mathematical learning situations. An interaction between a preschool teacher and a group of children about how to compare their temperatures is analysed, using this framework. The analysis focuses on how the teacher’s contributions as well as those of the children changed as the role of the mathematics changed. The paper discusses how the didaktic space offers a nuanced understanding of preschool mathematical situations, both to researchers and to teachers.