Number Sense
Author(s): Arietta Fleming-Davies1, Jeremy M Wojdak2
1. QUBES; Radford University 2. Radford University
2518 total view(s), 2605 download(s)
- BioMAAP_numbersense3.docx(DOCX | 1 MB)
- BIOMAAPnumbersense1.3.pptx(PPTX | 1 MB)
- Gut_Instincts_Surprising_Role_in_Math.pdf(PDF | 99 KB)
- License terms
Description
Research suggests that all humans (and many other species as well!) are born with an intuitive number sense. Oddly, this intuitive number sense is also correlated with “higher” math abilities such as performance on standardized tests. And although it is innate to all humans, it also improves with practice, and humans who have spent a great deal of time thinking about math often do better on tests of intuitive number sense.
In this activity, students demonstrate their own innate number sense by playing an online game that asks them to estimate quantities that are flashed on screen for only milliseconds. This works well as an in-class activity, using the Powerpoint version, or as an out-of-class assignment.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Fleming-Davies, A., Wojdak, J. M. (2018). Number Sense. BIOMAAP: Biology Student Math Attitudes and Anxiety Program, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/Q4313R