Procedural Fluency

Procedural fluency is the skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately. It includes, but is not limited to, algorithms (the step-by-step routines needed to perform arithmetic operations). Although the word procedural may imply an arithmetic procedure to some, it also refers to being fluent with procedures from other branches of mathematics, such as measuring the size of an angle using a protractor. The use of calculators need not threaten the development of students’ computational skills. On the contrary, calculators can enhance both understanding and computing if used properly and effectively. Accuracy and efficiency with procedures are important, but they should be developed through understanding. When students learn procedures through understanding, they are more likely to remember the procedures and less likely to make common computational errors.

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