The K-2 age group is rife with opportunities for laying the groundwork for number sense development. Unfortunately, that opportunity is often wasted due to these poor practices:
- Too much Tell, Tell, Tell. You can teach many things like that. How to brush your teeth. How to tie your shoe laces. How to play a musical instrument. A lot of necessary instruction and they are very effective in developing mastery of those skills. Number sense development is not about developing specific skills. it’s about creating mathematical thinking. It’s about guiding a child to think a certain way. And Tell, Tell, Tell can develop isolated know-how but not develop mathematical thinking. Who’s doing this Tell, Tell, Tell? School teachers, parents, youtube videos. Very one-directional. “The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.” —The Absorbent Mind. Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” (Benjamin Franklin). Do you agree?
- Too heavy on worksheets. Drill and Kill. The focus is on fluency, and getting the right answer. What’s more important with number sense development is how a child thinks and tears apart the problem. Did they use finger counting, or did they take advance of number sense strategies.
- Not enough Manipulatives. Mary Montiseeri : before a child can understand something they have to touch it. Child’s world is a visual and tactile one. It’s also the world they have most control over. Number Sense development for young children is a very interactive experience full of sensory engagement. Young children are not bored and uninterested in math. It’s just usually not presented to them in an interesting, engaging way.
- Not using Socratic Questioning. Socratic questioning is the opposite of Tell, Tell, Tell. Tell Me and I Forget; Teach Me and I May Remember; Involve Me and I Learn. Your goal is to develop mathematical and logical thinking in young minds.
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