Post by jbrob on Dec 11, 2023 5:50:31 GMT -5
Why Does Fact Fluency Matter in Math? 4 Educators Offer Answers
By the time students start 4th grade in Jennifer Clark’s class, she hopes they have a solid grasp on their math facts.
“Because we do so much multi-step problem solving, and we’re doing two-step word problems, if they’re spending 10-15 minutes trying to figure out what 9x7 is, they’re doing a lot of extra work, or they get burnt out,” said Clark, a math and science teacher at Mills Elementary in the Austin Independent school district in Texas.
Findings from cognitive science researchers back up Clark’s observation. Math fact fluency is important, they say, because it frees up brain space for higher-order problem solving.
www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/why-does-fact-fluency-matter-in-math-4-educators-offer-answers/2023/12
