Close message Due to scheduled maintenance on Friday 19th April 2024 between 7:00PM and 9:00PM AEST, the Scootle website may face disruption in service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Back to search results
Using visual tools to assist low achievers with mental computation

Teacher guide Using visual tools to assist low achievers with mental computation

TLF ID S7048

This teacher resource describes a case study investigating the use of visual tools to enhance mental computation by year 4 students who achieved poor results on the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) numeracy test, at St Monica's Primary School, Canberra. The method section describes the use of four visual tools - number lines, ten-frames, connecting cubes and 'think boards' - to show student thinking as they engaged in mental computation. The strategy resulted in improved student understanding of mental computation. The resource discusses the lessons learned from the case study, and provides a summary of recent research in the field and references to relevant readings.

View resource


Educational details

Educational value
  • This resource may be useful in supporting the mathematics learning area. It describes a case study investigating the use of four visual tools - number line, ten-frames, connecting cubes and 'think boards'. A 'think board' encourages students to represent mathematical understanding as a story, a picture and a model as well as using mathematical symbols. The study found that this was the tool that most improved student performance and was also the preferred tool for the students who participated.
  • This resource might assist teachers in addressing many aspects of the Numeracy general capability. It discusses the lessons learned from the investigation and includes insights from some of the students involved. It also summarises current research in the field and provides references to further readings relevant to early years and primary numeracy.
Year level

4

Topics Number (Mathematics) Number lines Assessment for learning Scaffolding (Teaching methods) Teaching methods (Numeracy)
Learning area
  • Mathematics

Other details

Contributors
  • Contributor
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Commonwealth of Australia
  • Organization: Commonwealth of Australia
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.australia.gov.au
  • Publisher
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Generic
Learning Resource Type
  • Online
  • Text
Rights
  • © 2014 Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise indicated. This material is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 AU) unless otherwise indicated. You may distribute, remix and build upon this material, provided that you include the acknowledgement '© Commonwealth of Australia 2014' and license under the same terms any new creations you have based on the material.