Notre Dame psychologist explores how children best learn math — and yes, timed practice helps
University of Notre Dame Professor of Psychology Nicole McNeil recently co-authored a report that examines the best way for children to learn arithmetic — whether that’s by memorizing number values and multiplication tables, or by studying math at a deeper, conceptual level.
The report, “What the Science of Learning Teaches Us About Arithmetic Fluency,” was published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest and shows that children learn most effectively when instruction follows an evidence‑based cycle: grounding facts in conceptual understanding, using brief timed practice to make those facts automatic, and then returning to discussion and reflection to deepen that knowledge.
McNeil, a fellow with the Institute for Educational Initiatives, researches cognitive development, with a primary focus on how children think, learn, communicate and solve problems in mathematics.
In a recent interview for the Association for Psychological Science, she discussed the report that deepened understanding of how arithmetic fluency develops, why it matters and how educators can help students achieve it.
“We want to be clear: Educators don’t have to choose between timed practice and rich classroom discussions,” McNeil said in the interview. “A carefully structured approach — pairing brief, timed sessions that strengthen facts in memory with purposeful reasoning and discussion activities that weave those facts into an integrated knowledge network — gives students the fluency they need to succeed.”
Media contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, c.gates@nd.edu, 574-631-4313
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