Power to Change: Math as a Social-Emotional Language in a Classroom of 4 and 5 Year Olds

Authors

Elinor J. Albin, The Advent SchoolFollow
Gretchen Vice, The Advent SchoolFollow

Abstract

Tells the story of how mathematics influenced a long term investigation around feeling powerful within an early childhood classroom. Written by Early Childhood Teacher, Elinor J. Albin, and Dean of Faculty, Gretchen Vice, this essay outlines the guiding questions by which teachers at The Advent School in Boston, MA connect mathematics to overarching themes and social-emotional learning. “Power to Change” concludes with observations about how and why mathematics provided a language for building social-emotional intelligence in four and five year olds.

Author Biography

Elinor J Albin



Elinor J Albin is an early childhood educator at The Advent School in Boston, MA. EJ received her Masters in Education in Teacher Leadership with a specialization in literacy at the University of NH. She is passionate about social justice issues and bringing nature into the classroom. During her ten years as an early child educator, she has shared her expertise with her colleagues through presenting at conferences, leading a faculty committee on Social Justice, and spearheading the redesign of the outdoor play and learning space at The Advent School.

Gretchen Vice



Gretchen Vice, GSE '01, is the Dean of Faculty at The Advent School, an independent progressive elementary school in Boston, MA. After receiving her Masters in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Bank Street College in 2001, she was a classroom teacher for many years before becoming a Math Instructional Coach. Now with 20 years of experience working within elementary schools both in the United States and Australia, she is excited about working with teachers on their professional growth and building their pedagogy, especially in regards to mathematics education.

Recommended Citation

Albin, E. J., & Vice, G. (2019). Power to Change: Math as a Social-Emotional Language in a Classroom of 4 and 5 Year Olds. Occasional Paper Series, (41). DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1273