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Think Mentals 25/3/19
Mental computation is an essential skill that’s not only applicable in maths class but in everyday life. When and how you work it into your schedule can make all the difference in your students mastering it. Here are three ideas for working mental maths into your week.
Different subjects are learned more efficiently at different times of the day, and research1 shows that mornings should be all about maths. While it may not be possible to rearrange your class’s timetable to fit your whole maths lesson in first up, you can certainly fit in your daily mental maths session to improve mental computation retention.
If you can’t start your day with mental maths, the next best thing is to start your maths lesson with it. Mental computation warms up your students’ maths brains and gets them ready for tasks that require higher-order thinking and problem solving.
If you run out of time during the week to complete your mental maths sessions, you can always set it as homework. Once you’ve taught the new mental maths strategy and your students have achieved a level of proficiency, they can complete the rest of the questions at home.
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