Numicon 2025

 Numicon Professional Learning Day

March 2025

With Trish Bunting & Brittany Ludemann

Numicon, a multi-sensory approach to teaching mathematics, was developed from a classroom-based research project by Ruth Atkinson, Romey Tacon, and Dr. Tony Wing, aiming to improve children's understanding of arithmetic through visual, structured imagery.

Purpose:

The researchers, Atkinson, Tacon, and Wing, sought to understand why some children struggled with arithmetic despite excelling in other areas.

• Key Principles:

  • Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract: The Numicon approach is based on this proven method, where children first explore math concepts with concrete objects (Numicon Shapes), then move to pictorial representations, and finally, abstract symbols. 
  • Multi-Sensory Learning: Numicon encourages learning through seeing, feeling, and manipulating the shapes, making math more accessible for diverse learners. 
  • Pattern Recognition: The shapes are designed to help children identify and understand patterns, which is crucial for developing a strong sense of number and mathematical relationships. 
  • Fluency and Reasoning: Numicon aims to develop both fluency in basic math skills and the ability to reason mathematically, using concrete objects and language to explain and justify thinking. 

Self-assessment task - Looking at the different shapes. We self-assessed to gauge where we are as far as our Numicon knowledge goes. This was a quick and easy way for the presenters to notice where the group are. This could be used in class. Numicon is about what you see and notice. 

What is Math?

We had a discussion about the number 5 and what it makes different people think of. 

Numbers are an abstract concept. We attach meaning. There are many different perceptions and understandings of what 5 is. What doea that mean for our learners?

Te Matāiaho - The New Zealand Curriuclum

What is Numicon? 

It is more than just manipulatives, it emphasises three key aspects of doing math. Communicating mathematically, exploring relationships, and generalising. 

Communicating Mathematics 

We are always looking and listening to see what our ākonga are thinking and what prior knowledge they have. 

We need to offer illustrations that help ākong to see and feel how numbers for together. 

Use language like, if, then, what about or or?

Getting Started - Base Boards

These have 100 spaces. As children get older, you could use the printed version instead of the baseboard. 

How many 2s did you use How many 5s? How many 10s? Hoew many shapes altogether? Could you use it again?

Look at shapes, introduce the names and then the numbers. 

Good activity: Putting the shapes into a row, add the one shape to a range of them, what happens when we add and then take away? 

Exploring Generalisation.

Two odd numbers makes an even.

Using Feely Bags

What can feel? What do you notice? What do you see? 

Can you find the largest? Smallest? Describe it. One less one more? 

Teen Numbers

Commutative Property

Equivalence

Equivalence doesn't mean the same thing as equal. We use the word same instead of equivalent - unfortunately, equivalence doesn't mean, the same. 

CPA Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract

We go between concrete and pictorial and when we are showing fluency, we can show understanding and can work in the abstract. Capable learners can move through to the abstract stage quite quickly.

It doesn't matter how we got there, as long as we can explain how we did so. 

Attach the value to the numeral. 

Subitising features quite a lot in the new curriculum. There are 55 sight facts (number bonds). Subitizing is the ability to instantly recognise the number of objects in a small group without needing to count them individually. Some people can subitise straight away and others can't. Some initially can't, but can get there with practice.

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that makes it difficult to understand and work woth numbers and math concepts, affecting a person's ability to learn and apply mathematical skills. 

Make the pattern, see the pattern and know the pattern, so we are not reliant on counting when working with larger numbers. 

Addition and Subtraction

Use number sandwiches helps children make connections with how many ways you can make different numbers. 

Getting Started

Be mindful of the attitudes and mindset of children in the senior school. Use assessment data to make decisions. Some gaps will need to be filled. You can start at the expected level and adjust, depending on your students. 

Big ideas section is used to plug gaps and are currently being used as an intervention in high schools.

Planning

Units of work are planned for about a week, not going over two weeks. unit plans are done with the expectation that teachers will read them. 

There is a clear scope and sequence. Firm foundations are different to other units. 

As the first activity, teach the language and what the words actually mean. Learning opportunities are the learning intentions. 

Addition and subtraction go together - doing and undoing. 

Review -Revisit - Recall

Doing something once is not mastery. The assessment sheet can be downloaded from Numicon.co.nz

Read and understand the content.

Consider the week's sequence of lessons

Know the learners

Use the assessment opportunities

Flexible groupings.

Keep moving and don't stay too long on one thing. 

Numicon - Mastery approach to teaching.

Each coloured band is one week of teaching and learning.

This is great for my learners at the moment as we have struggled a bit with using the Math No Problem workbooks, and understanding what the question is actually asking and being able to select an operation to solve the problem. I think it is also great for my ākonga who are currently struggling with the Year 6 content.

Oh my gosh...the interactive whiteboard. 

My Wonderings:

-Data entry. It looks like a lot. Is it able to be on Hero and give us the same information at a glance? Looks like it.

-How can I use Numicon to support my learners and align with Math No Problem?