In this article James Russo presents the Strategies, Understanding, Reading and Fast Facts Framework (SURF) for mental computation. He explains how this framework can be used to deepen mathematical understanding and build mental flexibility.

Lorraine Day and Derek Hurrell provide a convincing argument for using arrays to promote students' understandings of mental computation strategies for multiplication. They also provide a range of different examples that illustrate the benefits of arrays in the primary classroom.

Mathematical computation consists of both written computation and mental computation. The strategies for mental computation can be used to check the reasonableness of written computations. Mental computation has two distinguishing characteristics: "it produces an exact answer, and the procedure is performed mentally, without using external…

Fluency with basic number facts is vital for students' progress in mathematics. Not only does it contribute to students' facility with mental computation and algorithms, but an understanding of numbers and their properties builds a foundation for future mathematical work including algebra. There are many activities that can help students…

Facilitating mental computation discussion comes with its own set of challenges for researchers and teachers. It is important to be able to help capture the students' ideas, before they disappear and seem like little more than moments of magic! In enabling children to learn how numbers work, the current emphasis on mental computation is driven by…

Drawing upon research, theory, classroom and personal experiences, this paper focuses on the development of primary-aged children's computational fluency. It emphasises the critical links between number sense and a child's ability to perform mental and written computation. The case of multi-digit multiplication is used to illustrate these…

In this article, the author presents the results of a state project that focused on the effect of developing informal written computation processes through Years 2-4. The "developing computation" project was conducted in Tasmania over the two years 2002-2003 and involved nine schools: five government schools, two Catholic schools, and…

Debates the place of standard methods, the calculator, and mental mathematics in elementary education. Proposes a framework for computation that emphasizes a sequence for introducing computational procedures. (ASK)