Does speed matter?
After playing around with online IQ tests this week, and noticing how I score substantially worse on timed vs untimed IQ tests, I wondered what part does speed play in a child’s learning? What skills do we want children to perform with automaticity? And why?
Well, not always...but there are times when it does matter:
| Skill |
Is automaticity important? |
Why/why not? |
| basic math facts |
yes |
- Common Core State Standard
- The faster/easier a math fact is recalled, the more brain energy can be focused on application of math strategies
- Kids who have to attend to figuring out math facts with fingers, for instance, can make mistakes that compound the difficulty of the problem and produce an incorrect answer.
|
| Sight words |
yes |
- About 2/3 of the English language is comprised with sight words.
- The transition to seeing words as whole words as opposed to segmented sounds helps kids read more smoothly
- When kids can read smoothly and “like they are talking”, their focus can be on understanding the content of the material.
- If children are bogged down by stopping and sounding out sight words, comprehension suffers.
|
| Reading fluency |
yes |
- Reading rate is one component of fluency, along with expression and prosody.
- When a student can read the majority of words in a passage with automaticity, they can focus on phrasing and expression which aid in comprehension.
|
Stuart Mattingly
William Cope
