Making connections in Maths

Smart Lazy

I often say to my class that it is good to be lazy in Maths .... BUT not just any kind of lazy. It has to be smart lazy. The first time I say it they look at me with puzzled faces but as the year goes on, they realise what we mean by smart lazy.

In pedagogical terms, it means

• integrating and connecting prior learning,

• understanding and using the commutative, associative and distributive properties.

• recognising relatationships: betwen addition and subtraction, between multiplication, between division and fractions etc.

In practical terms, it means

• if I know that 6 + 3 = 9 and that 16 + 3 = 19, then I should be able to make the connection that 76 + 3 = 79 or that 2456 + 3 = 2459.

• knowing that 6 x 7 will give me the same answer as 7x 6 or 4 + 5 will give me the same answer 5 + 4.

• 
  

A Bird's Eye View

Connections can be explicitly taught, incidentally referred to and constantly revisited. Using a bird's eye view allows children to see that Maths makes sense, that they can figure it out. This is especially true for children who have dyscalculia or dyslexia or other learning difficulty. Making connections effectively allows children to reduce the number of facts to be memorised. For children with dyscalculia or dyslexia, working memory or processing speed can be issue. Reducing the number of facts to be memorised is always a good thing! It reduces anxiety and increases confidence.

Measures - knowing 60 minutes in an hour and degrees.

100 centimetres in a metre.

1000 g in a kg etc.

1/4 of 100 is 25; 1/4 of a 1000 is 250