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Is there any one on this forum that has experience in teaching children of illiterate parents?

We are currently really struggling to find a way to teach the concept of numbers to a group of 4 to 6 year olds. Even the concept of 1 is just not getting through after 3 months of working with them. Any ideas on how to wake up their minds and make the breakthrough in their thinking?

If Pavlov could train dogs, then surely there is some way of reaching the mind of a child. Our kindergarten teacher is nearly in tears at times trying to figure out how to teach them. It doesn't help that the schooling is in the second language of most of the children (Spanish). But even the native Spanish speaking children don't seem to get it.

Ideas?

Peregrino wrote:Is there any one on this forum that has experience in teaching children of illiterate parents?

We are currently really struggling to find a way to teach the concept of numbers to a group of 4 to 6 year olds. Even the concept of 1 is just not getting through after 3 months of working with them. Any ideas on how to wake up their minds and make the breakthrough in their thinking?

If Pavlov could train dogs, then surely there is some way of reaching the mind of a child. Our kindergarten teacher is nearly in tears at times trying to figure out how to teach them. It doesn't help that the schooling is in the second language of most of the children (Spanish). But even the native Spanish speaking children don't seem to get it.

Ideas?

My understanding from a sociologist who worked with cultures like this is that learning things like numbers, counting, the concept of past, present, future, etc., is something that is passed down culturally, via the home and family, and can't really be substituted for with regular school.

I study education. An essential component of "breaking through" to a child is making material meaningful- this involves using prior knowledge, environmental familiarity, and experience. This all sounds vague, because it is.. It's a learning curve to discover that "missing link" and how to apply it.

Think about Helen Keller and her breakthrough. The realization that "it has a name!". No amount of formal teaching could've brought her to that point.. it was about experience.

Object manipulation is essential , in my opinion. Perhaps create a number-language game. First model this, then maybe they'll catch on. Have it where children randomly hold up some fingers; whatever number of fingers they hold up, hand them that many pebbles. They may eventually catch on and you can start to incorporate number-names into the process.

Sorry if I sound all over the place. I'm just trying to articulate my thought process.

Chances are these children and their families have no need for numbers. The real question is why we think they need to comprehend numbers.

Josh wrote:Chances are these children and their families have no need for numbers. The real question is why we think they need to comprehend numbers.

So they can be taught the Trinity... Duh!

I am confused... how do they count or account for what they have now if they do not do some form of counting?

Maybe there is a way to relate their learning to what they do now.

TeleBodyofChrist wrote:I am confused... how do they count or account for what they have now if they do not do some form of counting?

Maybe there is a way to relate their learning to what they do now.

Cardinality and ordinality are not universal human concepts; meanings like "a lot", "some", "not much" are good enough for most day to day life.

If your culture isn't cluttered with accounting, taxes, bank accounts, and money, there is much less need for precise numbers. (And much of what we think is a precise number, like money, is illusory anyway.)

My question continues to be why it is essential to indoctrine another culture with our western concepts. Of particular note is that the concept of numbers in biblical times was quite different than ours.

Josh wrote:Chances are these children and their families have no need for numbers. The real question is why we think they need to comprehend numbers.

Golden rule. I'm guessing that learning numbers would be a step in improving their lives. They probably want to learn numbers.
Mankind has made great discoveries with math.

Numbers really aren't a western concept at all... Mathematics is called, by some, the "universal language".
All of your examples, Josh, mention money. Math can be applied to health, farming, construction, design, cooking, etc... math doesn't always equate with financial dealing (though it often does for us).
Different cultures do use concepts differently (be it numbers, direction, time, etc.), but I don't think we are indoctrinating anyone by teaching them basic math.
It's no surprise that they may not, explicitly, use math- but how could they use what they don't know exists? Once knowledge is formed, then the usage and application is really up to the learner. It's not indoctrinating or coercive at all, in my opinion. Quite the opposite.

KingdomBuilder wrote:Numbers really aren't a western concept at all...

... as evidenced by Arabic numerals, al-Jabr, and the fourth book of the Torah, for example.