Math fluency matters with Brian Poncy (Ep 30)

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Jul 12, 2024

Dr. Brian Poncy, a school psychology professor specializing in math interventions, discusses the importance of math fluency and daily practice. They cover topics like dosage research, conceptual understanding, explicit timing, and data-driven decision-making. Achieving basic fact fluency requires consistent practice every school day. The podcast provides research-backed methods to improve math education and highlights the significance of fluency for enhancing mathematical skills in students.

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INSIGHT

Fluency and Working Memory

Math fluency, like cognitive load theory, improves working memory, leading to better performance.
Faster fact retrieval increases practice opportunities, allowing for more problem comparison and connection-building.

ANECDOTE

Reading Analogy

Brian Poncy uses a reading analogy to illustrate the impact of fluency.
A slower reader absorbs less information, hindering comprehension and engagement.

INSIGHT

Reinforcement and Motivation

Fluency increases reinforcement rates; completing tasks is inherently rewarding.
Higher fluency means easier tasks, leading to increased motivation, perseverance, and task completion.

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In the second episode of a two-part series, math professor Anna Stokke sits down with Dr. Brian Poncy, a school psychology professor at Oklahoma State University, who specializes in math interventions. His extensive research on basic fact fluency led to the development of a free math program called M.I.N.D, aimed at improving numeracy and computational skills.

They begin by discussing five compelling reasons that fluency is crucial. Brian shares his research on dosage, which addresses the frequency and duration of practice for math skills.

Anna asks Brian to define conceptual understanding, and they explore its relationship with procedural skill. They also discuss explicit timing and address concerns about anxiety. Brian emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making and more.

A key takeaway from these two episodes is that achieving fluency with basic facts requires daily practice—every school day, not just once a week or every other day. The specifics are covered in this episode.

As Brian emphasizes, basic fact fluency results in significant effects with minimal investment in instructional time. These two episodes shine a light on the challenges many children face with math and highlight research-backed methods to improve math education.

NOTE: The resource page contains an extensive list of research articles mentioned in the episode: annastokke.com/ep-30-resources

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:00] Introduction
Five reasons math fluency is important
[00:02:42] Reason 1: More opportunities to respond
[00:05:50] Reason 2: Increased rates of reinforcement
[00:10:07] Reasons 3 & 4: Knowledge maintenance & reducing cognitive load
[00:12:35] Reason 5: Skill generalization
[00:20:16] Defining conceptual understanding
[00:25:31] Relationship between conceptual understanding & fluency building
[00:28:35] Research on dosage: how much to practice
[00:36:05] To mix or not to mix skills
[00:38:58] Explicit timing with goal setting and rewards
[00:42:29] Explicit timing and math anxiety
[00:47:54] Making data-based decisions
[00:52:30] Advice for schools

RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES

Ep 2. Evidence-based teaching strategies with Paul Kirschner https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-zgw6i-13b33df

Ep 3. The Science of Math with Amanda VanDerHeyden https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bksbz-13c732d

Ep 4. Cognitive load theory with Greg Ashman https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-thbad-13cea56

Ep 17. Do timed tests cause math anxiety? with Robin Codding https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-9qahp-14aed8a

Ep 27. Using evidence in education with Pamela Snow
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-jc9mq-161ecac

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://www.annastokke.com/ep-30-transcript

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.annastokke.com/ep-30-resources

MUSIC

Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it

Blue Dot Sessions – Thannoid, Tarte Tatin, Mazamorra, Cornicob

Podington Bear – Camp

Website: www.annastokke.com

X: @rastokke

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c