Big Ideas Covered
Week 8 focused on number sense, numeration and mental computation.
The image below identifies the BIG IDEAS of Week 8.
Prior to Week 8, I did not understand the importance of mental computation and allowing each student to develop their own mental strategies. As a future educator, I will provide each student with opportunities to develop these strategies through interactive actives such as Guess the Number.
Concept, Skill or Strategy
A student must have a formal understanding of number to understand place value. This formal understanding is taught within mathematics and is known as numeration. Numeration involves being able to name, write, read, process and interpret a number (Jamieson-Proctor, 2019).
Misconception
A misconception that a student may develop is that using a calculator is always more efficient than solving an equation mentally (Reys et al, 2017, p. 312). This misconception may develop if a student does not have an understanding of how to apply mental computation strategies, in which these strategies may simply be the thinking strategies used for addition or multiplication. As a future educator, I could remediate this misconception through physically demonstrating that it can be much more efficient to solve an equation mentally, opposed to using a calculator (Reys et al, 2017, p. 312).
ACARA + Scootle
Year Level: 2
The Number Partner is a scootle resource which could be used to develop mental computation as each student is required to mentally apply the addition thinking strategy of counting on. This resource most aligns with the symbolic language stage as each student is solving an equation mentally. A limitation of this resource is that if the correct answer is not obtained after three attempts, the answer is given with no explanation.
Resource or Teaching Strategy
Dice War is a resource which could be used to develop mental computation, as each student is required use mental strategies to find the total of two numbers. This resource could be used at the mathematics language stage. Yet, it could also be used at the symbolic language stage as each student is required to solve an equation mentally. A caution that I would have when using this resource is that it may become repetitive, especially if the same two dice are used (dice which only display 1-6).
The images below identify different dice which may be used:
Concept, Skill or Strategy: Textbook
Front-end estimation is a strategy which is often used when estimating (Reys et al, 2017, p. 324). Within front-end estimation, the first digit of a number and the place value of that digit is used to estimate a total (Reys et al, 2017, p. 324). This strategy encourages each student to use number sense, and allows an estimate to be obtained both relatively quick and easy (Reys et al, 2017, p. 324). I would first teach this strategy in either Year 4 or 5, through modelled instruction.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015). Mathematics: Sequence of Content. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/3680/mathematics_-_sequence_of_content.pdf
Education Services Australia. (2013). The Number Partner. Retrieved from: http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L103/index.html
Hogan, J. (2019). Maths Games: Using Dice With Kids Aged 8-13. Retrieved from: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/learning-toolkit-blog/math-games-using-dice-kids-aged-8-13.html
Jamieson-Proctor, R. (2019). EDMA241, Week 6 Part 1 [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from: https://leo.acu.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=2406579&chapterid=190017
Nasco. (2019). Dice. Retrieved from: https://www.myenasco.com/t/Math/Math-Manipulatives/Dice/Number-Dice
Reys, R., Lindquist, M., Lambdin, D., Smith, N., Rogers, A., Falle, J., Frid, S., & Bennett, S. (2017). Helping Children Learn Mathematics (2nd ed.). Milton: John Wiley & Sons.
EDMA Reflective Journal 