Elementos para contar: triangulos, círculos, barritas, etc.

Developed in Spain by Jaime Martinez Montero, the method Cálculo Abierto Basado en Números was first used in two Andalusian schools during the 2008-2009 school year.

What is it?

It seems to be a revolution in the field of early mathematics learning, for example in elementary school.

It is a very "natural" method in which pupils work with concrete quantities, which they manipulate, decompose and construct while observing the relationships between them.

This methodology works on the decomposition of numbers through materials and objects such as buttons, toothpicks, rubber floors numbered from 1 to 9 or clothes pins to encourage mental arithmetic.

The method increases the ability to solve problems due to its open-ended nature, as it is possible to find the correct solution in different ways.

It develops strong numeracy skills without being purely mechanical and instrumental, but is supported by the conceptual system that carries all the skills and abilities of numeracy.

Moreover, it provides learning based on the understanding of processes, not only on their rote use.

lines, numbers and so on

 

It can be used from the infant stage of 3 years of age and is usually closed in the sixth year of middle school.

Pupils learn at their own pace, using familiar situations and manipulative materials, placing numbers as they wish and calculating them correctly.

They think in numbers and not in figures, which is one of the main characteristics of the method. Moreover, calculations are made from left to right and not the other way round as in traditional calculus.

Advantages of the method

The rhythm and capacity of each individual is respected.

Number sense is worked on as something open, dynamic and alive:

  • understanding the size of numbers and thinking about them
  • representing numbers in different ways
  • using numbers as referents
  • using children's knowledge to reason in a complex way
  • detecting one's own successes and mistakes
numers,, lines and so on

 

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