The Components of Number Sense: A Brief Outline

Students who were 1 to 2 years behind in their math knowledge upon entry into kindergarten have been found to attain a level of achievement "indistinguishable from the normative group" after 2 years of mathematics instruction that teaches the ideas of magnitude and the number line specifically utilizing different forms of representing magnitude - sets, straight lines, circles, symbols, and so forth. Considering the earlier examples, we see how early understandings of equality affect algebraic thinking X = Y, how proportions create deeper understanding of geometry pi is a proportional tool, not just an irrational number, and how the components in general support mathematical number sense that enables students to handle the more demanding topics of algebra and geometry.