Number Sense: What It Is and How It Is Developed Go to Articles
Number sense. Students need it to develop their mathematical skills and understanding. It is a key part of mathematics curricula. But what exactly is it? And how is it developed?
Number sense is an attribute that a person has. It is a feel for or natural intuition about numbers that includes an understanding of all the different representations that numbers can have. A good sense of number is developed by discussing students’ understanding of numbers, encouraging them to think about numbers and use operations in new ways, exposing them to different representations of numbers, and linking mathematics they use every day to the mathematics they are learning in the classroom. Two examples of activities that promote the development of number sense are shown below.
Speedy Starters Card 1
Trace this number line onto another sheet of paper.
If the arrow is pointing to 50, mark where you think these numbers are located.
- 65
- 100
- 10
- 45
- 110
Activity from The Think Tank: Computation and Number Sense Green (Grade 4), 2005, ORIGO Education
Speedy Starters Card 16
Write a short story problem about the data in this graph.
Activity from The Think Tank: Computation and Number Sense Green (Grade 4), 2005, ORIGO Education
Bibliography
Irons, C., Burnett, J., & Turton, A. (2007). The book of facts series. Brisbane, Australia: ORIGO Education.
The ORIGO handbook of mathematics education. (2007). Brisbane, Australia: ORIGO Education.
