Why do some elementary school students master the correct way to use a ruler in measuring things more quickly? What misconceptions do children have when learning about decimals? How does using the number line compare to teaching children about fractions by dividing shapes, like circles and squares, into pieces? Interesting questions like these are the focus of the research being conducted in the Temple University Cognition and Learning Lab, directed by Elizabeth Gunderson, Ph.D. The lab investigates mathematical development from both cognitive and social perspectives, including topics such as numerical development, the relation between spatial and numerical skills, and the development of math anxieties and stereotypes. Participants' ages range from two-year-olds to adults, with a focus on Pre-K to elementary school students.

 Currently, our lab is engaged in three studies focused on how children process magnitudes, understand decimals and react to praise. One study, funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation, centers on how preschool children understand and flexibly attend to types of magnitude, such as number and size, and whether this relates to math achievement. In a second study, funded by NSF, we are examining whether the type of labeling used for a decimal affects how children process the magnitudes of decimals. Our third major study, also funded by NSF, investigates the role of the home environment in the development of STEM achievement and motivation. More specifically, we are examining differential contributions of cognitive and motivational supports that parents provide for their children's development of mathematical and spatial skills.

This past summer, our lab teamed up with the Philadelphia Science Festival with the goal of increasing awareness about how important children's spatial skills are. Together, we were able to design and arrange activities relevant to children's spatial skills, such as pattern blocks and mathlink cubes. We also held our first Teacher Work Circle - a day-long workshop with teachers from the city of Philadelphia—which focused on spatial skills, namely, what they are, why they are important, and how to improve them.

Our discussions centered on the challenges students face when using different spatial and math skills. Notable challenges we discussed included difficulties differentiating spatial vocabulary terms (e.g., flip, turn, rotate, etc.), understanding negative numbers, and lastly, learning that shapes are not defined by their rotation (i.e., that a turned triangle is still a triangle). Additionally, teachers described past activities that they had found helpful for fostering the spatial abilities of students. Some of the activities shared included number line games, a ruler-making activity, and free play with wooden building blocks.

At the Temple Cognition and Learning Lab, we strive to better understand the development of mathematical and spatial skills, along with the motivational and cognitive impacts exerted on children within the context of parent-child interactions. Through our translational efforts, we hope to build strong links to our community where together we can apply our research findings to real-world educational contexts including the school curricula and family interactions.