As a math coach for the past 12 years or so, I notice a lot of students in 3rd and 4th grade you are still using their fingers to add two single-digit numbers together. Using fingers to “count on” an addition fact 7+ 5 for example, is perfectly fine in kindergarten or 1st grade, but […]
As a math coach one of the things I hear the most from upper elementary and middle school teachers is “What do I do with my students who don’t know their multiplication facts?” I hear this from third grade teachers fourth grade teachers fifth grade teachers all the way up to whatever grade level I […]
The other day I received a text from a school district I serve. It read, “On a scale of 1-10, how important is math fact fluency?” My answer: 11 In a follow-up text, they asked for my thoughts on fluency instruction, fluency practice, and whether there are any online apps to support the development of […]
Why do we have timed tests? asks Adam Grant (University of Pennsylvania) in this New York Times article. Because many educators believe that speed is a sign of students’ aptitude and mastery. In fact, says Grant, completing a test more quickly isn’t an accurate measure of knowledge or intelligence; it assesses the much narrower skill […]