Monday, March 12, 2012

Math Facts vs. Math Fluency

I am constantly being approached by teachers and instructional leaders regarding the ability or struggle to memorization of math facts. Administrators are saying that students do not know their math facts by the time they get to third grade. Non-mastery of these facts set children up to struggle with multiplication and the gap continues to increasingly grow. I am working with teachers in looking at current practices that measures fluency and to accurately give teachers an instructional road map for students. I have been involved in a great deal of research regarding Math facts vs. Fluency and the impacts it has on student learning. Ruth Parker, is a mathematician and researcher who has dedicated a significant amount of her career studying how children learn mathematics. Below is a link to a webinar that discusses children's ability to attain mathematics conceptually. Dr. Parker outlines the major roadblocks teachers and students face while learning the relationships between number.

Link
http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/mspnet_academy_breaking_cycle
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2 comments:

  1. Connie WheelerMarch 14, 2012 at 2:54 PM

    Rachel, we still see students struggling in high school with basic math facts. Students experiencing a difficult time recalling facts cannot concentrate on solving a basic equation because they are trying to recall multiplication facts. I know that drilling students becomes boring, but at least they know the math facts. Even my calculus students will complete the "calculus" correct and miss the answer because they were working with fractions. I am really interested in reading the research that you find.

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  2. Melissa ScottApril 6, 2012 at 12:45 PM

    In looking back, I realized that my original comment did not post. I had discussed how my son was not a good memorizer. We spend hours and hours a night studying and memorizing spelling, math facts, geography... We spent the entire summer last year working on math facts and reading to prepare for his 3rd grade year. My father tutors him once or twice a week in math. It has really been a struggle.He is not a strong student in that respect, but is very creative. I hope that 21st century skills such as that will crop up in his classrooms soon!

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