Researcher on early mathematics learning visited Chile

David Purpura, director of the Center for Early Learning at Purdue University and senior researcher at Núcleo MEMAT, held meetings with the Undersecretariat of Early Childhood Education, conferences and work sessions with Chilean researchers and an open and free talk for researchers on topics early learning.

Professor David Purpura, Professor and Director of the Center for Early Learning at Purdue University in the United States, and senior researcher at Millennium Nucleus for the Study of the Development of Early Mathematics Skills (MEMAT), participated during the week of January 16 in various meetings with researchers from said Nucleus, academics from the Diego Portales University, professors and researchers from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and with the Undersecretary of Early Childhood Education, Mineduc.

During his stay, Professor Purpura addressed central aspects of his research field: language and its relevance in learning methods, early mathematical literacy, the transition from informal to formal mathematical knowledge, and individual and group differences in language skills. mathematician in young children.

Maria Ines Susperreguy, director of MEMAT, stated that “as a Milenio nucleus we are very happy because we were able to share with the teams that are working in Chile relevant topics that have profound consequences for education. Considering early mathematics from the link between practice and research was one of the central topics we discussed. Also about how learning can be done early.”

On the other hand, Katherine Strasser, Principal Investigator of MEMAT, maintained that “Professor Purpura's visit was invaluable for the MEMAT team, since it allowed us to visualize what the cutting-edge topics are around early mathematics, and he interacted a lot with our young researchers around topics related to their career development.”

The academic also held a conference open to local researchers and students on topics related to early learning.

David Purpura joined the faculty of the Center for Early Learning at Purdue University in the United States, of which he is now director, in 2012 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship from the Institute of Education Sciences of the US Department of Education. USA at the College of Education at the University of Illinois. Later, he earned a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University in 2010.

Her research focuses on understanding how young children, from preschool to third grade, learn mathematics, how to identify children at risk for later mathematics difficulties, and how to best intervene in these skills early on. She has also addressed the importance of introducing mathematics and reading through what families do early at home, proving that good results in mathematics and reading are linked.

Her current work is focused on developing and evaluating interventions using picture books and games to support preschool children's early mathematics skills, particularly for dual language learners.