As secondary teachers, we are often frustrated by the lack of number sense in our students. Students seem to either reach for a calculator or just shrug and say, ‘I don’t know,’ when asked simple arithmetic questions,” (Pamela Weber Harris, Building Powerful Numeracy Middle and High School Students). What exactly is number sense and how do we develop it in our secondary students? During this session we will analyze progressions of number sense to help us define this seemingly difficult goal. We will also consider what experiences and routines students need in order to develop number sense. These routines will help provide teachers with ways to foster student participation while building math language, content, and fluency. Using these practices and routines creates an environment for ALL students to learn mathematics at the secondary level.
TESS components addressed include: 1A, 1E, 1F