Using Examples

Abstract

How do you teach a young child what a ‘number’ is? Idoubt you would start with a theoretical discourse on the process of matching up sets of objects. You would start with actual examples of numbers. You might point to two cups and say ‘two cups’ or point to two chairs and say ‘two chairs’ and so on. Once the child had understood some specific numbers, you might talk about a ‘number’ as the word used to speak about any or all of the specific numbers.