ABSTRACT
Children are more aware of differences in meaning than adults for whom there is less need. As adults we sense more readily what is required and arrive at the answer. This automatic ease can mean ‘the teacher simply cannot see what could be complex about something so familiar to them’ (Rowland et al 2009: 118). Children respond more carefully in order to determine what to do. We need to be conscious of the different meanings within calculations. We need awareness of how words prompt different meanings. We need to communicate strategies for mental calculations.
