What is Fact Fluency?
"Mastery of a basic fact means that a child can give a quick response (in about 3 seconds) without resorting to nonefficient means, such as counting." -Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics - Grades 3-8 by John A. Van de Walle and LouAnn H. Lovin copyright 2006
Why do we put so much emphasis on Fact Fluency?
Educators and cognitive scientists agree that the ability to recall basic math facts fluently is necessary for students to attain higher-order math skills. Grover Whitehurst, the Director of the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES), noted this research during the launch of the federal Math Summit in 2003: “Cognitive psychologists have discovered that humans have fixed limits on the attention and memory that can be used to solve problems. One way around these limits is to have certain components of a task become so routine and over-learned that they become automatic.” Whitehurst, 2003)
A more in depth explanation can be found here: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/math-fluency
XtraMath is just one tool that we use to help students master math facts. Card games, flashcards, other computer games are also fun, effective tools. The XtraMath website has a very useful FAQ section (https://www.xtramath.org/home/faq). Here I have chosen some questions and answers that seem relevant to our discussion on Tuesday evening.
▼Can students do XtraMath more than once per day?
Students can sign in to XtraMath multiple times per day however once per day is the recommended amount. Additional sessions have diminishing educational value and they decrease students' enthusiasm for the program. Once per day as regularly as possible is the key to making good progress.
▼ XtraMath goes too fast for my child. Can you slow it down?
XtraMath is designed to measure what basic math facts students can recall, not what they can calculate. Three seconds is a carefully selected compromise that is long enough that a relatively slow typist can enter a recalled answer, and short enough so that most finger-counted responses are not erroneously considered fluent. If you increase the interval then you are no longer measuring fluency.
▼ My child is struggling with XtraMath. What should I do?
Here is what we recommend you tell your child if they are struggling with XtraMath:
- XtraMath takes only a few minutes each day, but it requires your undivided attention during that time. Stay focused on the problems and do your best every time.
- Do not feel hurried by the clock. Accuracy is more important than speed, but once you have the answer you should type it in promptly.
- Do not worry about the occasional typo or mistake. You will have many more chances to answer that same problem in the future.
- Do not guess. Try to remember the answer first, and if you cannot remember it then calculate it.
- Whenever "Mr. C" shows you the correct answer take a second to repeat the problem and answer to yourself. This will help you remember it in the future.
- Never, ever enter wrong answers on purpose. If you do your score will drop significantly and it will take you several sessions to prove what you already know and get back where you should be.
- It can take two months or more of regular practice to master an operation so be patient and be persistent.
- Do XtraMath as regularly as possible while following this advice and you will make good progress.
I have students using XtraMath a few times a week at school, but students can also access the site from home. I have noticed a significant improvement in the fact fluency of those students who have taken the initiative to use the program at home as well.
I hope this helps and please don't hesitate to ask questions that you may have!
