Toni Hatten-Roberts - Science of Maths and the Importance of Fluency

Science of Maths and the Importance of Fluency

Thursday, December 1, 2022

7:30 PM - 8:45 PM

Toni Hatten-Roberts

Toni is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished teachers within Australia and a recent recipient of the Schools Plus Teaching Fellow (2022) Australian Teacher of the Year Award winners. She has a wide and diverse experience in education having served as a teacher in early childhood, primary school and secondary school; a regional advisor for mathematics, science, outdoor education and gifted education; a Head of Curriculum; a Deputy Principal; a Principal; and a Director of Education. Toni is currently the Director and Lead Consultant for COGlearn and the Executive Director of Education and co-founder of Mastery Schools Australia. Toni has a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Social Science – Psychology (Honours). Her original research into the importance of verbal rehearsal in managing cognitive load in learning was recognised through her participation in the International Conference of Learning Sciences in London in 2018. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland.

Recording

Slides are coming!

Science of Maths and the Importance of Fluency

Session Outline
How many times do you hear - 'but they don’t know their facts!' Being able to recall multiplication number facts might just be one of the single most important skills that all students need to have mastered by Year 4 to succeed in any future mathematics. Math fact fluency is the ability to quickly and accurately recall the answer to basic math facts. This is typically the result of repeated exposure that leads to commitment to long-term memory, allowing it to be instantaneously recalled when working in other areas of mathematics. Research on cognitive load supports the idea that we can reduce the load for our students through the fluent recall of facts. However, educators cannot rely anymore on ‘the back of the toilet door’ strategies; nor repeat the ‘rote’ procedures of the past. In this session we explore the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ in supporting student maths fluency of facts and more!