As an elementary school teacher, I am required to create a learning space that allows my students to become fluent grade level readers and writers. However, expectations around number fluency (the deployment of basic math skills) seem to be more ambiguous. Over the past several years, I have witnessed an ongoing debate among teachers, parents, and administrators concerning computational fluency. There are those that believe that number fluency is a fundamental math skill that needs to be more prominently addressed in elementary classrooms. Meanwhile, there is another camp of mathematical thinkers that place a high regard on conceptual understanding of mathematics. This involves operations in mathematics through problem-solving, communication, and exploration but does not necessarily require students to be fluent with basic math facts.

Cathy Fosnot, one of the leaders in Mathematical educations offers an interesting perspective in this debate. Cathy Fosnot was a professor at City College of New York. She founded the Mathematics in the City, authored various books and articles on mathematics education. In this video clip, she is discussing her views and sheds light on what she calls a “False Dichotomy”.