Promoting Number Sense in School

Abstract

Number sense is considered a desirable trait to foster, although its meaning, as other notions of thinking, such as common sense, horse sense, and savoir faire, can be defined only broadly. It can refer to a feeling for number and their various use and interpretations, to an appreciation for various levels of accuracy when figuring, and to a common-sense approach to using figures to support an argument. It can refer to the ability to produce reasonable estimates, to detect arithmetical errors, to choose the most efficient calculating procedure, and to recognize number patterns.