Counting is not Calculating

Easily the biggest 'elephant in the room'

Observe any class of 7-11 year olds carrying out everyday 'column arithmetic' problems and you'll see a room full of 'finger tapper's and 'head bobbers'. 

Why? Because they are calculating by counting in ones.

A highly inefficient and prone to error strategy and evidence, in this case, of a complete lack of 'Number Sense' relating to composition of number and base ten (the place value system).

The root of the problem? They were taught to count to add and subtract (typically from 4-7 years old) rather than understand that numbers are made up of other numbers (composition, part/whole, number bonds and number facts)

The solution? Teaching 'subitising', and not counting, as the foundation of calculation fluency. Giving children 'concept images' of numbers using resources such as 5 and 10 frames so they 'see' a number as a pattern and understand how it can be decomposed and recomposed into and from parts (essential for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)

Great question! Using a maths scheme alone won't guarantee your children will make great progress. Successful learning starts with the knowledge and skill of the practitioner USING the resource.

Think of the scheme like the branches of a tree and EYMaths and the 'Teaching Essential Number Sense' course as the roots

When we invest in practitioners' maths subject knowledge and pedagogy skills we strengthen the roots that underpin everything we do. 

In practice, this investment means you will use any existing scheme or approach far more effectively! 

Practitioner Subject Knowledge

Because 'You don't know what you don't know'

This is a HUGE problem and one I encounter with every practitioner and team I work with.

• What happens when you think that a shape that is 'flat' is 2D or a cylinder has '3 faces'?
• What is the consequence of only teaching 'number bonds' (splitting a number into 2 parts only) when children then need to understand division (potentially meany parts)?
• What problems will a child encounter in their later school years when they've been taught to add and subtract by 'counting on and back?

The questions we see daily on social media are evidence that Maths subject knowledge is significantly lacking for the majority (and not just in Early Years).

This is like us going to a doctor who is hard-working, intelligent and kind but doesn't understand the human body nor the conditions that are afflicting it and expecting effective treatment. 

I'm hoping that sounds like a REALLY bad idea.

The EYMaths 'TENS' course priorities practitioner Maths subject knowledge throughout. The consequnces are many; significant gain in confidence and enjoyment in planning for and teaching Maths alongside dramatic improvement in children's progress, attainment and engagement.

The perfect recipe for success. 

Learning Through Doing

'Children need to hold Maths in their hands before they can hold it in their head'

The quest to ensure children learn through concrete (physical resources) experiences is not a new one but it remains an area of insecurity for most practitioners.

In order to understand why concrete experiences are so vital in developing essential 'Number Sense', the practitioner themselves must be given the opportunity to change the way they view and understand what having 'Number Sense' actually means.

The 'TENS' course will give you everything you need to teach all aspects of 'Number Sense' using perceptual and conceptual subitising, five and ten frames, part whole models and more starting with real and meaningful 'concrete' resources. 

Handling real objects (both natural and manmade) stimulates children's language, prompts exploration and questions and actively supports connections and reasoning. All essential to secure long-term learning.

Module 1: 'Scientists and Subitisers' 

In Module 1 we begin with why our children's natural instinct for exploration, noticing and language are KEY to mathematical fluency. 

Learn about the mathematical brain we're all born with and why it's subitising and not counting that comes naturally to children! Learn how best to harness its incredible ability to see, compare and recognise 'number' and crate progress you never thought possible with such young children.

Length: 54 mins

Module 2: 'Counting vs. Subitising'

(and why counting doesn't lead to calculating!')

In Module 2, we continue our journey into why it's the vital skill of subitising that underpins a child's later ability to calculate efficiently and NOT counting as we've previously believed. 

Learn how to align subitising and counting and why there's far more to teaching and understanding the roles of number than we've ever considered.

Be prepared  for many 'Wow-Bombs' (mind blowing revelations!) in this module of the training and to come away NEVER thinking about teaching Early Years Maths in the same way again!

Length: 62 minutes

Module 3: 'Moving Towards the Abstract: Introducing 5 and 10 Frames'

How do we successfully take young children through from concrete experiences to pictorial representations and written abstract symbols? Module 3 examines the importance of conceptual understanding constructed through meaningful, hands-on experiences and talk-rich problem solving. 

Learn why we should be teaching  'part/whole' and not 'part/part/whole (beware of the two part 'cherry-model' so frequently seen in schemes). Teach children to make essential connections between their subitising skills and the foundations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Length: 69 mins (plus 75 min bonus webinar)

Module 4: 'Teaching Early Calculation and Place Value' 

Wouldn't you LOVE to find a way to teach 'teen numbers so they didn't trip children up and seem so 'tricky'? 

Module 4 will not only give you the tools to make this incredibly EASY but also ensure it makes complete sense to you and the children!

In this module we also focus upon teaching calculating in a way that uses children's developing number sense/facts built upon their ability to subitise (both perceptually and conceptually rather than counting) meaning they achieve true fluency ready for their next stage of learning as they move up through the school.

Length: 89 minutes

Fancy a preview? 

Click on the image to enjoy our 2-minute tour of the personal library you'll receive!