Growing Math Minds: How Kids Learn Math and What Shapes It

How do young children learn math—and why should the rest of us care? In this talk, Dr. Alexa Ellis zooms out to explore the big picture of early math development, showing why it matters not just for researchers, but for caregivers, teachers, and society at large. She’ll share examples from her work studying how children build math skills, and discuss the everyday home and school experiences that shape those learning journeys.

Alexa Ellis is an Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Alabama. She earned both her Ph.D. and B.A. from the University of Michigan. Trained in developmental psychology and education, her interdisciplinary research focuses on how we measure and understand the variability in children’s early math development—and how diverse home and school contexts contribute to it.