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WHAT’S 99 TIMES 5 ?
Your child says writing down sums is dumb and knowing how to do it is asimportant as getting the right answer.JULIET ASHTON explore the new world of primary school maths.
our 10 year old asks you to work out 196 divided by 4 and scoffs whenyou start to write it down as 196/4.
Y
She says you have to work it out in your head, like this: “You divide 200 by 4 toget 50. Then divide 4 (the difference between 200 and 196) by 4 and get 1.Then you take 1 away from 50 and get 49”.Long winded? It’s actually “smarter thinking” than writing out the sum in theold way, says Peter Hughes, one of two national co-ordinators of the newapproach to maths learning in primary schools, called the Numeracy Projects.Why is it smarter? Because, he says, you’re learning to pull numbers apart andput them back together in a different way to solve a problem.The underlying concept is called “part-whole thinking” or “partitioning” and itis, says Hughes, an essential skill for children as they move on to more complex mathsproblems.Finding a “friendly number” like 200 unlocks an easy way to do the problem.Another part-whole approach can be used with a sum like 27 x 6. Instead of constructing asingle formal calculation (or algorithm), carrying numbers and adding up the column s, you cando it in two parts: 20 c 6 and 7 x 6. This reduces the problem to 120 + 42 = 162.So why is this so important? It depends who you ask.Education officials say New Zealand children have been falling behind in maths for a couple of decades. They cite two international studies in the 1990s (the Second and Third InternationalMaths and Science Studies known as SIMSS and TIMSS). New Zealand ranked 14
th
out of 17countries in maths achievement for nine year olds and 10
th
for 12 to 13 year olds.Megan Clark, Associate Professor of Maths at Victoria University, dismisses the survey results.
99x 545450 
 
She says in many of the countries surveyed, children spend far more time on maths in primaryschool so the results aren’t surprising. “Exit” tests have shown New Zealand students performwell compared with other countries as they leave school.That said, she supports the Numeracy Projects on other grounds. She believes a change inteaching methods was necessary to help equip children for a workforce in which almost all jobsnow involve some maths skills.But she says factors such as socio-economic status, parental involvement and teaching qualityalso play a big role in determining whether children do well at maths.
The Numeracy Projects
The Numeracy Projects evolved out of a New South Wales programme called Count Me In Toothat showed promising results with primary age children.Count Me In Too was the result of two decades of research that suggests all children go throughthe same broad developmental stages. These stages include :
One-to-one counting
They can count up to 10 but can’t solve simple problems such as 4 +3.
Counting from one on materials
They can add using their fingers or counters/beads.But to add 4 + 3, they put the two groups together then start counting from 1.
Counting from one by imaging
They can visualise objects in their mind rather thanusing concrete objects.
Counting on
When adding 4 + 3, they count on in ones from 4, rather than starting at 1.
Initial part-whole counting
They can partition numbers into useful units to solve additionand subtraction. Early strategies include using doubles (7 + 8 can be done as 7 + 7 + 1) andfriendly numbers (9+7 is the same as10 + 6).
Advanced/Fluent part-whole thinking
They can choose from a wide range of partitioning addition/subtraction and multiplication/division strategies to solve problems.These stages form the basis of the Number Frame-work which underpins the NumeracyProjects.
How does it work in the
 
WHO’S COUNTING NOW?
Lynne Petersen
is a teacher of a year 3and 4 class at Dominion Rd School inAuckland. She says during maths sheused to do most of the talking. “Now thechildren discuss their maths problems,explaining how and why they get theiranswers.” She adds that a big focus atthis level is to understand multiplication and times tables.The kids also learn “vital practical skills” like estimation.Even when they’re using calculators, Lynne says, they need toknow if their answer is in the right ballpark. For instance, if they’re calculating the cost of 15 burgers at $3.95 each, theyshould be able to estimate that the answer will be a bit less than$60 (15 x 4).
 
classroom?
The maths curriculum hasn’t changed butteaching methods have - at least in theschools involved in the project.Teachers assess children using “diagnosticinterviews” to see what developmental stagethey are at. Children are then groupedaccording to that information rather thanhow well they do with basic facts or timestables.They don’t usually move to the next stage untilassessments show they have grasped theconcepts they’re working on. So teaching of the times tables is delayed, as is the introduction of thestandard written forms of calculations, until children start “part-whole” thinking, usually aroundyear 4 (eight year olds).Other changes :
•
Early on, more time is spent on counting skills
•
Teachers make more use of counters, abacuses, beads and paper money
•
In years 1 to 3, children often draw pictures to show maths concepts or they write out sumshorizontally rather than vertically.
•
Children are encouraged to discuss with each other how to solve maths problems.
Do they still learn times tables?
Yes, most of the experts we talked to felt that by age 10, children should have good recall of thetables, up to 10 times. It’s necessary to solve complex maths problems.But Professor Clark says putting too muchemphasis on times tables and basic facts can bedamaging to “deep-thinking” kids who takelonger because they’re mentally checkingwhether the answer makes sense.She says if children are making progress withtimes tables, parents shouldn’t worry.Many teachers no longer bother with the 11 and
100 x 5 = 500, minus 5 = 495
of 00

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