NCTMArticleReviews Kling,G.(2011).FluencywithBasicAddition.TeachingChildrenMathematics,18(2),8088. Thisarticledoesagreatjobofhighlightingtheimportance,anddefinition,offluencyin elementarymathematicsinsteadofmemorizationandrecall.Manycurriculumoutcomescallfor fluencyinadditionfactsandnumbercombinations,butthereisalackofknowledgeaboutwhat ismeantbyfluency.Thisarticledefinesfluencyashavingaspectsofflexibilityinapplying applicationskills,andaproficiencyindoingso.Memorizationisnotalwaysadependablemethod ofrecall.Evenwhenthecorrectanswerscanberecalled,itdoesnotdemonstratean understandingofthemathematicsfactsonthepartofthestudent.Thearticlesuggestsmethods thatcanbeusedtohelpstudentsdeveloptheiradditionfluency.Forexample,studentsoften easilymemorizedoubles,sohelpingthemtodevelopstrategiesforneardoubles,ordoubles plustwoisaneffectiveexampleofdevelopingfluency.Themainpointofthearticleistoshow howstudentscandeveloptheirfluencythroughunderstandingmultiplewaystoconstructand deconstructnumbers,andthroughdevelopingadditionstrategiesbasedonthese understandings.

Theideasheldwithinthisarticleareveryvaluabletoteachingmathintheelementary classroom.Whatseemsmostimportantistheinsistenceinshiftingfrommemorizationto fluencywithinunderstandingmath.Itisbecomingincreasinglyimportant,andincreasingly accepted,thatstudentsneedtobeviewedasautonomousbeingswithintheclassroom. Studentsneedtobeactivelyinvolvedincreatingtheirownmeaninganddevelopingtheirown understandingsThesemethodsalsogivestudentstheopportunitytoengageinpeerlearning,as itisencouragedthattheysharetheirstrategieswithothersintheclassastheydevelopthem. Whileitisclearlyacceptedthatmemorizationisnolongeravalidformofprovingunderstanding, thisarticlegoesthestepfurtherinassertingthatstudentsneedtoplayanactiverolein

developingtheirownmeaninginmathematicsinorderforthemtobecomefullyfluent. Kinzer,C.J.,&Stanford,T.(2013).DistributiveProperty:thecoreofmultiplication.Teaching ChildrenMathematics,20(5),302309. InDistributiveProperty:thecoreofmultiplication,KinzerandStanfordcalltotheforefront theimportanceofstudentslearningdistributivepropertyandthemethodsofunderstanding behindmultiplicationinsteadofjustmemorizingthefactsonamultiplicationtable.The prelearningphase(K2)isdiscussed.Inthisstage,itisimportantthatchildrendevelopan understandingofhowonedigitnumberscanbeconstructedanddeconstructed.Fromthis, studentscanextendthatknowledgetoaidtheminsimplesingleanddoubledigitaddition.Itis alsointegralthatchildrenmaketheconnectionbetweenmultiplicationandarea,andusetheir knowledgeofdeconstructingnumberstobreakmultiplicationproblemsintosmallereasymath equations.Overall,studentsshouldbeabletodevelopavarietyofvisual,physical,and mathematicalmethodstohelpthemunderstandandsolvemathematicsequations.These methodsshouldbeexploredandsuitedtothespecificstudent. KinzerandStanforddoagreatjobofshowinghowstudentscancometounderstandthe maththattheyarelearning,notjustmemorizeit.Theyeffectivelyshowthelearningcurveand howstudentscanbecomeengagedwithit.Itisimportanttorememberthatinunderstanding math,childrenneedtodevelopabasisandbuildupontheirknowledge.Thisarticleshowshow theprecursorstomultiplicationknowledgecanbeestablished.Throughexamples,theseauthors alsogivethereaderreallifefoundationofhowstudentswhoareequippedwithunderstanding areabletodeveloptheirownkeystrategiesandseethelogicbehindthemath.

Hillen,A.F.,&Watanabe,T.(2013).MysteriousSubtraction.TeachingChildrenMathematics,20 (5),294301. ThearticleMysteriousSubtractionwalksthereaderthroughtheexampleofanactivity thatcanbeusedasanexampleofhowchildrencangainmorerealandmeaningfulexperience inlearningmathematics.Itspeaksoftheimportanceofstudentsmakingconjectures,or informedguessesthattheyfeelcanexplainaruleorpatternfoundintheirmathexplorations.It saysthatthisisimportanttodonotonlytohavestudentsactivelyengagedintryingto understandwhyorhowthemathworks,butalsoinunderstandingthatawrongconjectureisnot afailurebutjustasignoflearning.Whileitimportanttobeabletoproveaconjecturetrue,itis alsojustasvaluableofaskilltobeabletoproveitwrong.Theideabehindplacingimportanceon childrencreatingandadjustingtheirconjecturesistohighlighttheimportanceofproofand understanding.Steppingawayfromrotememorizationinmathematics,itisimportantthat childrendevelopprocessestogiveevidenceandunderstandingastohowcertainpatternsin mathematicsappear. MysteriousSubtractionisanimportantarticlebecauseitcontinuestogiveeducators insightandideasastohowtheycanstepawayfromthetraditionalmemorizationthattakes placeinamathclassroom.Itisimportanttoteachstudentstheprocessofmaking,correcting, proving,anddisprovingconjectures.Itisareliablewaytohavetheminteractwiththecontentat ahighcognitivelevel.Whenstudentsengageinthiskindofprocess,theyarenotthinkingof mathasalinearprocess,butcanunderstandthecomplexitiesandcognitiveinvolvementthatit takestotrulyunderstandthecontent.Ifstudentsaretaughtthehabitofengagingwiththe materialinthisway,theywilldevelopfullerunderstandingsanddevelopstrongermental connectionsthatwilllastmuchlongerthansimplememorization.