How to equip Years 3-6 students with complex mental computation strategies
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PRESENTED BY DRÂ BERN LONG
Bern's session focuses on equipping Years 3–6 students with fluency, efficiency, and flexibility in complex mental computation strategies. She asserts that achieving true computational fluency demands students move beyond rote methods to master and strategically select sophisticated, higher-end strategies. Teachers and sometimes other students are guided to explicitly teach these methods and ensure students receive ample, ongoing experience applying them across all mathematical domains, not just through number.
You will walk away from this session with a whole-class four-week Mental Computation Planner using inquiry, explicit instruction, and strategy sharing to build strategic, confident mathematical thinkers
About Dr Bern Long
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Bern Long has 3 adult children. She has taught in a range of schools with different socio-economic backgrounds and cultures. She is very passionate about helping students develop a love of mathematics. She has held many leadership roles including having been a mathematics leader in a number of schools. Presently she works part-time as a Mathematics Leader at Glowrey Catholic Primary School.
Bern has also been a Mathematics Lecturer and a Numeracy Consultant and Coach. She completed her PhD in 2017 working under Professor Peter Sullivan. Her research looked at developing a mathematics intervention for students who fell approximately 6 months behind. The intervention called 'Prepare 2 Learn' had 4 components; prior knowledge, mental computation, growth mindset and metacognitive strategies. The students were tracked for 30 months to see the long term effects of the intervention. Bern also facilitates PD sessions through Simply Maths.
