A Tale of Two Basic Fact Fluency Stories with Ryan Flessner

Basic fact fluency is a great big topic and I’m gearing up for a few episodes - or many, we’ll see -  to talk about it. I don’t have any documented evidence to support this, but in my 20 years of having a leadership role of some kind in schools the quote, “My kids don’t know their facts” is a statement I hear over and over again. When I ask what they’re doing to teach facts sometimes they answer that they are giving timed tests; other times, they say “well we aren’t allowed to give timed tests, so I don’t do anything.” Here’s the deal. A timed test doesn’t *teach* basic fact fluency. It assesses who can do facts fast. We need kids to know their facts and we need them to be able to know them without counting on fingers, etc - but to do so, we have to actually teach - not just have them memorize. And there are very specific reasons for that. In this episode, Ryan Flessner and I talk about our own personal stories with basic facts - both as students and as teachers. Our stories are really different and represent the two kinds of teachers we encounter in schools - and I love that, because we both ended up coming to the same understanding of how we should teach basic facts in our classrooms despite having two really different stories. There was a massive thunderstorm rolling through during this recording so there were a few technical difficulties that I tried to edit out and fix, but I’m a real amateur, so stick with me here as we venture into the hot topic of how to TEACH basic fact fluency. Exciting News! The KINL Podcast Network has a sponsor for this month's podcast episodes! What if your schools could simplify access, automate the work behind the scenes, and use real data to understand what’s actually happening across your digital learning environment? ClassLink brings Access, Automation, and Analytics together, helping school systems securely connect users, streamline account management and rostering, and turn technology usage data into insights that can guide smarter decisions and eliminate unnecessary tools. Visit ClassLink.com to learn more about how ClassLink can help your school system run smoother, work smarter, and get more value from your technology.