It’s the Thought that Counts: Why Learning to Count Is More Complex Than You Think

Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

Author

Kieran Mackle
November 24, 2025

It’s the Thought that Counts: Why Learning to Count Is More Complex Than You Think

Good Morning!

Counting looks simple from the outside, yet many students can chant numbers without really understanding quantity. In this live(ish) TDaPE session, I dig into the complexity of counting, from discrimination and subitising to one-to-one correspondence, cardinality and abstraction. Using research and classroom examples, I try to show how layout, language and task design shape students’ understanding, and why counting deserves far more attention in curriculum and professional development planning.

Let me know what you think.

It’s the Thought that Counts: Why Learning to Count Is More Complex Than You Think by Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

Episode 255: In this standing-room-only live session, Kieran explores why learning to count is far more complex than simply reciting “one, two, three”. Drawing on classic work from Piaget and Gellman & Gallistel, alongside more recent research on subitising and early number, he unpacks the web of ideas that sit behind apparently simple counting routines.

creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/kieran-mackle/episodes/Its-the-Thought-that-Counts-Why-Learning-to-Count-Is-More-Complex-Than-You-Think-e3b9s68/a-acantia

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Slides

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