[Maths-Education] Early Sorting

[John Mason]

Hi Alison, Alexandre


None of this is large scale empirical in basis, but might be helpful.

A)

Edouard Claparède (1919), proposed a Law of Awareness, often cited 
approvingly by Piaget, which took thinking to be a standby activity, 
invoked only when existing habits failed to deliver an adequate response.

Claparède, E. 1919: La conscience de la ressemblance et de la difference 
chez l'enfant. /Archives de Psychologie/, XVII, 67-80

Law of Awareness is quoted by Vygotsky as saying 'awareness of 
difference precedes awareness of likeness' (Vygotsky p163).

Vygotsky, L. (1986/1997) A. Kozulin (Ed.) /Thought & Language/. London: 
MIT Press.

This links closely to Ference Marton's Variation Theory.

B)

It is a well known phenomenon (I would look in  Brown 1973  for possible 
confirmation) that children distinguish particulars from general (e.g. 
crows from birds) before they assemble them into class inclusion.

Brown, R. 1973, /A First Language,/ MIT, Cambridge.


There might be something in one of these as well:


Hudson, Liam, 1968, Frames of Mind, Methuen, London.

Hughes, M. (1986). /Children and Number/: /difficulties in learning 
mathematics/ Oxford : Basil Blackwell.

JohnM