ED1635 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Commutative Property, Numeracy
Mathematics - Lecture 2 - Week 2
Numeracy and Mental Computation
Numeracy
- Numeracy is not a synonym for mathematics, but the two are clearly interrelated. All numeracy is
underpinned by some mathematics; hence school mathematics has an important role in the development
of young people’s numeracy
- Numeracy encompasses the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage mathematics demands
in personal, societal and work situations, in combination with the ability to accommodate and adjust
flexibly to new demands in a continuously rapidly changing society that is highly dominated by
quantitative information and society - Van Groenestijn (2002), p37
Critical Numeracy
- A critical appreciation of how mathematics is used to describe and explain our world and make
discerning decisions about everyday issues that involve mathematics
- Whose view is being promoted and to what advantage?
- What arguments are being promoted? Is there bias?
- Who is empowered and who is disempowered?
- What mathematics is being used, and is the mathematics being used appropriately?
To be accurate and flexible with mental computation
- Understand numbers
- Understand operations
- Number facts
- Estimation
Fluency
- Students develop skills in choosing appropriate procedures, carrying out procedures flexibly,
accurately, efficiently and appropriately, and recalling factual knowledge and concepts readily.
Students are fluent when they calculate answers efficiently, when they recognise robust ways of
answering questions, when they choose appropriate methods and approximations, when they recall
definitions and regularly use facts, and when they can manipulate expressions and equations to find
solutions
What mathematics do adults really do?
Mental Computation
- Needs to be considered as first choice
It is efficient
Is it portable
- Automatic recall (automaticity) is the platform for successful mental computation of numbers of 2 or more
digits.
- Basic fact recall is promoted through the use of thinking strategies
- Estimation is a good tool to work out the reasonableness of the answer
Mental Strategies
- Using basic facts, partitioning and place value in order to mentally work out an answer
- Mental calculations in your head and involved much more than recall of basic facts
Strategies
- Counting on and back
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Numeracy is not a synonym for mathematics, but the two are clearly interrelated. All numeracy is underpinned by some mathematics; hence school mathematics has an important role in the development of young people"s numeracy. A critical appreciation of how mathematics is used to describe and explain our world and make discerning decisions about everyday issues that involve mathematics. To be accurate and flexible with mental computation. Students develop skills in choosing appropriate procedures, carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately, and recalling factual knowledge and concepts readily. Needs to be considered as first choice. Automatic recall (automaticity) is the platform for successful mental computation of numbers of 2 or more digits. Basic fact recall is promoted through the use of thinking strategies. Estimation is a good tool to work out the reasonableness of the answer. Using basic facts, partitioning and place value in order to mentally work out an answer.
