Why Number Sense Unlocks Everything

Hello and welcome to Tier One Interventions podcast. Today we are taking an excerpt out of a live event that John Lee hosted earlier this month in June. Hope you enjoy the excerpt, and I'd like to hear what you have to say about how this episode ends. What do you think she is sharing with us? we are here to talk about the science of math. Which may or may not be a thing at this point.

Some people think it's a thing and some people that think it's a thing have defined it in many of the wrong ways. I'm here today to set the record straight and I want us to be the front runners in this whole movement so that it doesn't get all wackadoodle. Please feel free today to ask questions, to interrupt me, to make comments, to give your own opinions. I'm gonna say a lot of things that you're gonna disagree with.

You're allowed to disagree with me, and you're allowed to tell me that you disagree with me.

That is what is going to move math forward is when we get amped up. Because this is cognitive science of math, we are gonna be talking a lot today about how the brain learns. Did anybody notice anything on the screen while I was talking? I. Ah, Daphne. I knew you would notice. You are like the most aware person. Anybody else notice anything on the screen while I was talking? Did you notice the last slide? What was on the last slide? Look at, you. See, you're my new friends from Monday.

You guys are my old friends. You guys are my new friends from Monday, and I can just tell that you are pretty slick. Okay. When we are talking about the brain, so I'll go back to the first slide. You can look at the screen now, but when we're talking about the brain, I think everything here is spelled correctly. That was the, that was intentional there. But then as I was talking, I changed slides and some of these words changed up a little bit.

Okay. Raise your hand if you did not notice any of that. Why do you think that was? Cheri? Yeah. 'cause I kept moving around and you're like, Jonily, I told you just to stand up front and she probably told me 67 times and I'm sorry. I know. Why do you think that was, that maybe you didn't notice what was happening with the screen? Yeah, because what was happening? Yes. Very nice.

Yes. Our brains sometimes only focus on the first and last, and our brains adjust for those mistakes, but also the movement. Why else do you think you didn't notice? Yeah, Joan. Exactly. What else? Today we're gonna talk about a lot of the parts of the brain and how the brain makes us do things and makes us not do things. And that really is what describes the science of mathematics or the science of anything. The science of basically means. It's a collection of research.

The science of doesn't mean, okay, here's the script, here's the program. Here's the thing. It just says, we have collected over time a bunch of research that the common theme is X, Y, and Z. For math today, we're gonna talk about what those common themes are, and some of them are gonna be very counterintuitive to what we think about for mathematics. I first really need to talk a little bit about the science of

reading, which I am not an expert. I will not claim to be an expert. However, you can't help this thing being in your face recently. Okay? The science of reading is a collection of research. I wanna make it very clear that reading is an action. Reading is not innate. We're not born with the skill of reading. And reading must be explicitly taught. Any additions to that? Yes. Say it again.

We're gonna also talk about why sensory inputs are so important to learning and understanding mathematics today. Those of you that are familiar with the science of reading, you've been down that path. If you're not familiar with the science of reading, just know that it is absolutely the opposite of the science of number. Now, the science of mathematics is two things. The science of mathematics is procedural and conceptual. The science of mathematics is in two categories. Number and ability.

Number and ability. The science of ability of math is much more directly related to the teaching strategies of the science of reading. Let me say that again. Math ability is one category. And math ability category is much more related to the science of reading, meaning procedurally, it needs to be explicitly taught. It's not something that anyone is just going to figure out in the book that you each have at your seat making Math Iners.

This defines the two categories I just mentioned, so I'm not gonna go into a lot of deep detail because it's in the book. Math Ability is the category that is closely related to reading. Math ability must be explicitly taught. However, students have a better chance of achieving with math ability when we study the science of number. The other category is number or number sense. Reading is one category. There's one way to do it. As I've been told, again, I'm not the expert.

I just know enough to be dangerous. I just know enough to make this analogy to mathematics. The science of reading is parallel and related to the science of

math ability, but it is the exact opposite of the science of number. Talk at your tables. 30. Let's do 45 seconds about that last statement. Science of reading related to math ability. The opposite of the science of number. Talk for 45 seconds at your tables. Go. I like a lot of urgency in our conversations. I like a lot of urgency for students. The brain feeds on urgency and deadline. If I said for the next five minutes you're gonna talk about that last statement.

The best productivity of your conversations really is gonna happen in the first 45 seconds anyway. Sometimes we think we don't have enough time. Oh, tweet this. Sometimes we think we don't have enough time, but we actually are spending too much time. Oh, I could have you talk about that, but someone just tweeted at minds on math. Anyway, number sense is the door to entering math achievement. Math achievement is the overall umbrella for the two categories. Math, ability, and number sense.

Math ability is the explicit procedural step by step. Number sense is the opposite of all of that. Number sense is the door to opening up all math achievement. If we can improve number sense, we can in turn very easily improve math achievement. We are gonna focus all day today on the number sense. If you came here today to learn how to better teach long division, I got nothing for you.

Actually, I do have something for you. Just do. Just do. Yes. But just show it and kids will mimic, just do the mimicking thing. It's just typical instruction. Any procedure is just, if I want kids to follow direction, step by step for a procedure, then I just do it. However, that is not number sense and it is not the gateway to math achievement. Number sense is the door to overall math achievement. By improving number sense and focusing on number sense, we can then improve math ability.

We're not gonna talk a lot about the math ability today. We're only gonna focus on the number sense piece. If number sense is the door to opening math achievement, then counting is what's going to launch and enhance number. Number senses the door to opening math achievement, which will a byproduct is to increase math ability. But if we want to increase number sense, which is the ultimate goal, the first and last step is improving number sense.

And if we want to do that, the foundational piece is counting. And counting is the key to unlocking the number sense door. Now this analogy is important. Because talk to me. Let me go back and say it again and then I, we're not gonna release, I just want you to tell me whole group if number sense is the key to unlocking math achievement. And I say counting is the key to unlocking number sense. Tell me about that. Yeah, Tim,

say that. Speak louder. Sure. Oh, you know what? Do the mic, because we're, I have to use this. We were looking at our test scores and what we found out was that the numbers sense was affecting the application process. On our assessments. Some of the questions that we did well on the number sense was there. The other ones traced it back to not having number sense skills which directly impacted the result of the application question.

, We've realized how the number sense is really a major push still. And that we need to make sure that foundation is strong no matter what we do. However, when we say we're doing improvements to number sense, we are actually on the math achievement route. I'm just gonna get real down and dirty today. We want to and here is the only thing you need to hear today to improve number sense.

You just must do daily count, daily counting exercises, and every session today, I'm gonna give you another example of a daily counting exercise. And that's what I want you to walk away with a daily counting exercise. I just want kids to count and count efficiently. Counting is innate. We are born with the ability to count. All fish can count, all animals can count. This is the whole predator prey. A predator can look and see if there is a large group of prey or a small group of prey.

That is estimation. Students that have dyscalculia struggle with estimation. We are born with a certain level of number sense. That's different than the skill for reading. We are born with number. It is innate. It is intuitive. However, we're all born with a certain level. Some stronger than others.

Number sense can be improved. And as I already said it, it is improved by counting period. That's it. That's the only answer. Number sense is improved by counting, but number sense cannot be explicitly taught. Like reading number sense can be improved through counting and also through sensory, multisensory, visual conceptual, contextual experiences. And throughout today, in every single session, you're gonna see example after example of everything that goes back to counting and number sense.

On the next slide, I'm gonna show you a quick dot and show you the screen for about three seconds. I'm gonna take it away and then I want you to tell me how many dots you saw. Perfect. How many, just call it out 30. What? Some good. I like it. A lot or a little. See, this is what I do with my K one kids. Okay? This is how we start to use some of those description words. Where there a lot. Where there? A little Where there a ton. Where there a million.

You can already see how that dot image is differentiated for all ability levels. Okay? Somebody else said 30. What else? How many? 80. 65. Love it. See, Audrey, you so fancy. Fewer than a hundred. How? How many? One other. Now I'm gonna show you another one. I'm gonna show you another one. Ready? How many dots on this next slide? How many. 90. How many

say it again? 16 times five 80. Here's what I'm gonna tell you, there were the same number of dots here as here. What's the difference and what's the same talking your table groups? One minute go. Two, one, and I'm not gonna have you share out on this one. I want you to understand the subtleties of today. I wanna engage you in the mathematics today, but you're gonna miss a lot of the facilitation. I wanna point it out to you.

Notice when I did the first release for 45 seconds, I brought you back together. Did I have anybody share out? Okay, and then the next time I didn't release you into tables, I just had a share out, and then this time I released you and we're not sharing out. I want you to just notice those subtleties.

We're gonna talk about those things later today because of, oftentimes you'll come to a session like this and you'll get great ideas and you'll have a good time and things will be great, but you'll miss what made it happen. Then we go back to our classrooms and then we're like, okay, that was so fantastic, but I still don't know how to do it. I want you to pick up on the how you can do it subtleties.

When you look at both of those images of dots, you know that there is one big difference, and that is the organization. Number sense. Is improved by understanding organization. An organization in mathematics is rectangle. Organization in mathematics is rectangle. What we have to do to improve number sense and improve counting is to redefine what's essential in mathematics.

One thing that is absolutely essential is categorizing organizing and using rectangle. Our students already have this skill, but we do not match our instruction to extract the skill that our students already have because the perspective of our students is different than our perspective. What I want us to walk away from today with. Is to get better at identifying and extracting student perspective and then responsive teaching to match their perspective.

Because until that disconnect goes away, we cannot improve. Number sense. This was my son when he was in preschool. My oldest son who is 20 now, when he was in preschool, I am certain that his teacher said color, the P'S yellow and the O'S black and the t's green. And he did exactly that. We have to be careful When we are too explicit. When we are too explicit in our instruction, we get defaults like this. In a moment, I'm gonna have you look at nine symbols.

Now, some of you that have known me for a while. You have seen this before and that is purposeful. To those of you that are new and have not interacted with me, you've never seen this, and that is purposeful in a moment. On the next slide, I'm gonna show you nine symbols. They're gonna be listed vertically and you're not going to write them down until I take them away. I'm gonna show them to you for about five seconds when I take them away.

You are going to write down all of the symbols in the same order and the same orientation you saw them.

Now you are going to need something to write with and let me do a little bit of logistics right now. You all gotta color folder when you came in. There are blank pages in that color folder at the end, so you're welcome to use any of those blank pages. This folder is full of resources that we're gonna use today and it's yours to keep and.

At the end of the three prongs, there's blank paper, and you are absolutely u allowed to use that blank paper to write down these symbols unless you brought your own paper. But when I show you the symbols, you can't write yet. I'm gonna show about five seconds, take 'em away, and then you're gonna write. Is everybody ready now? Okay. I wasn't gonna give anybody a handicap. I wanted to make sure everybody had the same accessibility, because now you're like, oh, I didn't even bring a pen.

See, I gave you time to figure all that out and find something to write on, and it's okay. And nobody had to freak out. All right, here we go. I'm gonna show this to you, but don't write yet. Write 'em down. Okay, check your work, and in a moment I'm gonna ask how many you have, correct? Correct. Location and correct orientation.

Okay. Anybody have at least three, correct? We should have lots of hands here. At least three. At least three. At least four. At least five. Okay, so at least five is five or more. Okay, so at least five. Five or more? At least six. Oh, okay. Okay. So at least six Stand up if you had at least six. Correct. There's no cheating, I'm gonna have Cheri talk. Come on up here. Come on out here, front and center, because I'm gonna have Cheri, just I love you.

I'm gonna have Cheri talk about the raffle that we have today. The Raffles today are sponsored by the Learning Disability Podcast Network, and I'm gonna have Cheri talk about that sponsor. And the sponsor has, dozens and dozens of free things that we're giving away today. Talk to us about that. Share me and then you'll take Patreon and pick out price. Sure. So as of Monday, you didn't even know about this. We had to change the name of the podcast Network too.

Disabilities Labs Podcast Network anyway, so the li disabilities Labs is where tier one interventions and. The course is, it is called Mastery Math Method. It is hosted on Disability Labs and we take part of the training and we put it out to Tier One Interventions podcast. So that was one of the podcasts that's on the network. There is another podcast on the network called The Writing Glitch.

I was the host of that, and I did every, I did it up until the end of May because I am shifting some of my focus. I feel like I have exhausted everything with The Writing Glitch. So The Writing Glitch, can anybody guess what I mean by a writing Glitch? You knew it. You knew this. Okay. Yes. Dysgraphia is the disability in writing Being an occupational therapist, what do we get their referrals for? Can somebody help my kid with writing?

This kid has sloppy writing is a dysgraphia, i, in 2019, published handwriting, brain Body Disconnect, they are on sale outside for $20 a piece. And from that book I started the podcast. I have some courses and things like that. Along the way I met Ms. Jonily and we decided to partner up and take some of the world of writing.

And brought it to mathematics because I bet you guys don't realize it, that whether you're writing a letter or you're writing a number, you're doing the same thing in your brain. And where does it begin? It begins by connecting the thought to the product that's coming out on your hand. So we have partnered together, and yes, Kirk, we are writing a book together.

It is not published yet because we have realized over the last year that some of the things that we have in that book, as we were writing it, we just didn't like the way they were flowing, and we wanted to be a little bit more articulate. So the reason the book is on delay is because of those of you who are our beta readers. Can I have those of you who are our beta readers stand up? I know Janet was one. Janet, are you the only one in the room? We had several disciplines.

We had ot, speech teacher, special ed teacher, school psychologist review the book and the feedback was, I didn't quite understand this, so we are back. So our mission this summer is to finish that book. So because I have gotten the point of now where I have discontinued hosting The Writing Glitch, however, it's still up there, you can listen to three years worth of information about dysgraphia and dyslexia. Be sure to subscribe and click that bell for notifications on YouTube and click

subscribe on your favorite podcast app so that you hear when the next episode of Tier One interventions comes out. And by the way, we are only submitting every other week here over the summer. We look back to starting up every