Number sense
Number sense
Number sense
Number sense is considered as an innate numeracy skill, which not only humans but also some animals, such as fish and birds have. As the name says, it refers to sense of numbers. Number sense enables us to estimate the number of cars on the parking lot without counting them on-by-one, or to tell whether there are more people queueing in one line or in the other one.
APPROXIMATE NUMBER SYSTEM (ANS)
It has been proposed that we use a system called approximate number system, ANS, when estimating magnitudes (e.g. object or dots) approximately, or making comparisons of numbers (1).
When testing what kind of number sense an individual has, researchers often use tasks, in which you need to compare a number of dots or number symbols. Those who have a good number sense often respond quicker and more accurately in these tasks compared to those with weaker number sense.
Look at the pictures.
Can you quickly estimate which of the pictures has more dots?
Number sense is considered as an innate numeracy skill, which not only humans but also some animals, such as fish and birds have. As the name says, it refers to sense of numbers. Number sense enables us to estimate the number of cars on the parking lot without counting them on-by-one, or to tell whether there are more people queueing in one line or in the other one.
APPROXIMATE NUMBER SYSTEM (ANS)
It has been proposed that we use a system called approximate number system, ANS, when estimating magnitudes (e.g. object or dots) approximately, or making comparisons of numbers (1).
When testing what kind of number sense an individual has, researchers often use tasks, in which you need to compare a number of dots or number symbols. Those who have a good number sense often respond quicker and more accurately in these tasks compared to those with weaker number sense.
Look at the pictures.
Can you quickly estimate which of the pictures has more dots?
Number sense is considered as an innate numeracy skill, which not only humans but also some animals, such as fish and birds have. As the name says, it refers to sense of numbers. Number sense enables us to estimate the number of cars on the parking lot without counting them on-by-one, or to tell whether there are more people queueing in one line or in the other one.
APPROXIMATE NUMBER SYSTEM (ANS)
It has been proposed that we use a system called approximate number system, ANS, when estimating magnitudes (e.g. object or dots) approximately, or making comparisons of numbers (1).
When testing what kind of number sense an individual has, researchers often use tasks, in which you need to compare a number of dots or number symbols. Those who have a good number sense often respond quicker and more accurately in these tasks compared to those with weaker number sense.
Look at the pictures.
Can you quickly estimate which of the pictures has more dots?
Research
DESIGN
A total of 265 Norwegian children, with their teachers and parents, participate the the project.
Children's skills (e.g., different numeracy skills, reading, and executive functions), motivation and emotions for mathematics learning are measured five times during the project:
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Grade 1 spring 2019
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Grade 2 autumn 2019 and spring 2020
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Grade 3 autumn 2020 and spring 2021
METHODS
Data collection is arranged at the University of Oslo. Each day, during a couple of months, a group of 8–12 children comes to an adventure day. All tasks are connected to a specific theme. In spring 2019, the theme for the adventure day was astronaut training. By the end of the adventure day, the children received a diploma for completing the training. Several students, studying (special) education, participate the project as research assistants, and gain valuable experience in assessment and working with children.
Recent development of more advanced statistical methods as well as technology related to measurement tools, such as eye trackers and equipment measuring physiological responses, enable us to take a step further in tracing children’s numeracy development. The main statistical methodological approaches in this research are person-centred methods and latent growth analyses.
RESULTS
As the project makes progress, the results will be mainly disseminated as articles in international journals. We will also share the main results on this website.