When did numbers become a sentence? (Designing training to enable better learning.)

As we piled into the assembly hall & sat on the tiny chairs, meant for much smaller bottoms than mine, I listened as the Year 1 Teachers gave an overview of how Maths was being taught to our children, and possibly more importantly how we could help support this back at home. 

I’m pretty sure the terms: ‘number bonds’, ‘reverse subtractions’ & ‘number sentences’ weren’t around when I was a child, but...

 I still consider myself pretty nifty with an equation, so why is this important?

Making my way into the classroom, I spotted my smiling Son, waving a tray of brightly coloured plastic pieces, “Let’s do number bonds!”  It became obvious that all the children used these terms regularly.

Heading home, I reflected on when I first started out in training, I designed sessions purely with the learner in mind.  But, this simple act of giving an overview to those who support the learners, demonstrates that even when people think they ‘know it’, the terminology can change, and if we speak the same language, we can become more effective.

If you just starting out, or are looking to get into training, check out the open Facebook group to gain support and advice: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/curious.trainers.academy/

(Oh and juts in case you were wondering...‘1 + 1 = 2’ is apparently a number sentence!)