How Students Learn Math
Foundations, Fluency, and Effective Instruction
Foundations, Fluency, and Effective Instruction
Understanding how math concepts relate to one another and how students learn math helps guide effective math instruction. This session connects research with practice, focussing on working-memory limits, the instructional hierarchy, and what it means to be fluent. We will discuss why fluency with foundational math topics matters for learning more complex math, and participants will learn practical strategies for strengthening math learning for students.
Dr. Anna Stokke is a mathematics professor at the University of Winnipeg. She received a PhD in mathematics from the University of Alberta. Her research area is in algebra (group representation theory) and algebraic combinatorics. Dr. Stokke is an advocate for strong math education for Canadian children. She has given over 200 media interviews on math education and has written numerous editorials for both local and national newspapers. Previously, she co-founded an advocacy group WISE Math. She is President and co-founder of the non-profit organization, Archimedes Math Schools.
She hosts the popular math education podcast Chalk & Talk, which has topped education podcast charts in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Chalk & Talk is the only podcast in Canada focused on evidence-informed math education.