Teaching and Learning

What a wonderful start to the year it has been. Our students have been The students have demonstrated such readiness for learning.

This year, our school is excited to implement Angela Rogers' Numeracy Fluency program. On Monday, 16th February, our 2nd Curriculum Day, we will work alongside Angela as she supports our staff learn about the program before we implement it in Term 2. In the meantime, you may hear your child talking about "fluency sessions" as we begin to set routines to ensure a smooth implementation.

In this newsletter, I will share the "why" behind this evidence-based approach to mathematics.

The Science of Learning: Cognitive Load

At the heart of this program is an understanding of Cognitive Load Theory. Our working memory, the part of the brain where we do active thinking, has a limited capacity. When a student has to stop and manually count on their fingers to solve $7 + 8$, they use up a significant amount of "brain space."  By the time they return to the actual problem (like a multi-step word problem), they may have lost track of the original goal. 

Angela Rogers’ approach focuses on moving basic numerical facts from working memory into long-term memory.

How It Supports Our Students

The program isn't about rote memorisation or "speed drills." Instead, it focuses on:

• Number Sense: Developing a deep understanding of how numbers relate to one another (e.g., seeing 8 as "2 away from 10").
• Strategy Efficiency: Teaching students sophisticated mental strategies so they can solve problems accurately and flexibly.
• Automaticity: Achieving "automatic" recall of number facts.

The Goal: Freeing Up Space for Complex Tasks

When students achieve fluency, they "free up" their cognitive resources. This allows them to tackle higher-level mathematical tasks, such as problem-solving, reasoning, and algebraic thinking, without being bogged down by basic calculations.

We are committed to ensuring our students don't just "know" math, but feel confident and empowered as they progress toward more complex challenges and ability to apply what they have learnt.