I am going to work really hard to help students become more flexible and fluent with their understanding of numbers. This starts with fewer flash card and speed-based assessments and more practice, work, and fun with numbers.
It amazes me how smart your children are but how unsure they are of what they know. It is common for us to have a math conversation and they often say, "well, I think" or "maybe its..." They are so unsure of themselves and I really want to build their confidence.
Many of them have a really good base of knowledge. I hope to build on that but we need to build their confidence in what they know and rote memorization of steps and facts won't get them there. There is a place for some memorization but often times this can come in different ways. Below is an excerpt from an article:
"People with number sense are those who can use numbers flexibly. When asked to solve 7 x 8 someone with number sense may have memorized 56 but they would also be able to work out that 7 x 7 is 49 and then add 7 to make 56, or they may work out ten 7’s and subtract two 7’s (70-14). They would not have to rely on a distant memory. Math facts, themselves, are a small part of mathematics and they are best learned through the use of numbers in different ways and situations. " ~ Jo Boaler
If you'd like to read more of this article, click
here.
Here is a link to a game we learned today that is fun, easy, and builds fact fluency.
Pepperoni Pizza Multiplication
