2 Developing mental methods

Being able to calculate mentally helps learners to develop a secure understanding of numbers and the number system, allows learners to develop their own intuitive methods and provides a firm foundation for written methods of calculation.

The practice of doing mental calculations is an important skill in everyday life. It also helps to develop fluency and confidence with numbers. How can you help your learners to develop effective mental methods? What follows are examples that you can use or modify for use with your learners.