Mental Computation and Estimation

Working out sums, differences, products and quotients in your head, or judging a rough answer without paper, is part of everyday life. This book gathers and examines contemporary research and empirical studies carried out with students, teachers and adults to map the many dimensions of mental computation and estimation. It looks closely at what these inform for the research, teaching and learning of mathematics, and it sets out practices that can strengthen everyday classroom learning.

Drawing on a wide range of international work, including studies from the School of Nature and Life Mathematics in Greece, the book takes up several central questions. It defines mental calculation and estimation, explains why they matter, and shows how they connect to other mathematical concepts and cognitive behaviors. It then turns to the strategies people use for mental addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and to how multiplication tables are learned.

The final part considers recent developments in how mental calculation and estimation are taught. The book is written for mathematics educators, researchers, policy makers and those who design educational programs.