Since helping hundreds of learners become fluent with their maths facts in primary school we see FIRST HAND  the impact FLUENCY has on their maths confidence, independence and success! An essential tool for overall mathematical achievements (Nunes et al., 2012)

Fluency is one of the three aims for the 2013 national curriculum. It is also one of NCETM’s ‘Five Big Ideas of Teaching for Mastery’ where it’s defined as “quick and efficient recall of facts and procedures and the flexibility to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics”. 

But, WAIT! There are calculators, computers, and Google— kids really don't need to be fluent with their maths facts, surely? 

 

And the reasons they do...  This should be written in ALL CAPS...  

 It frees up brainpower or working memory to do more complex mathematical work.

 

"Becoming fluent with numbers reduces the cognitive load, thereby freeing resources for more advanced problem solving to occur"

(Sweller, 2005).   

   

  Learning  higher-order skills requires more working memory. When working memory resources are overburdened, “performance deficts are likely to occur” (Eysenck & Calvo, 1992: Faust, Ashcraft, & Fleck, 1999).

In committing maths facts to long term memory they lay the foundational skills for more difficult math concepts including fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, and much more (O’Donnell & SanGiovanni, 2011). Without fluency and indeed, automaticity in those simpler facts, higher order math skills are very difficult for learners. Those basic facts translate into almost every aspect of mathematics in later years.

Research evidence points in one direction: The best way to develop fluency with numbers is to develop NUMBER SENSE and to work with numbers in different ways 👍

 ❎ Not to blindly memorise without sense making (because  that would be unproductive and counterproductive, wouldn't it?)

And Number sense is...

 When we develop NUMBER SENSE with our learners and we allow children plenty of TIME and  PRACTICE  (No, that's not thousands of repeat  question sheets!)  learners  will  use numbers FLEXIBLY, EFFICIENTLY and ACCURACY with SPEED!

 Can we set something else straight?

 

There is a clear gap between what research has shown to work in FACT MASTERY and what happens in our schools and at home.

TIMED TESTS won't boost recall speed 🤯 As long as we keep putting learners under pressure to recall facts at speed we will not erase the widespread anxiety and dislike of mathematics that pervades in the UK (Silva & White, 2013; National Numeracy, 2014).

PSSSST…!

Looking for a PLAYFUL and TRANSFORMATIVE WAY to build fact mastery without the unnecessary repetition of algorithms, meaningless rote practice and timed tests/ drills that are damaging and unnecessary?

🙌 Hands up 🙌 who’s ready to try out our RESOURCES & CONCEPT CARDS? 

We believe that becoming fluent with numbers   involves multiple: ideas, voices, strategies and ways of seeing and thinking.

For more ideas aand ways  help children develop NUMBER FLUENCY, take a look at our FLUENCY TOOLKITS, SUBITISING SPOTS and MULTIPLICATION CONCEPT CARDS