Handling

Misconceptions
in Math
A Practical Classroom Guide to Building a Good
Mathematical Foundation and Reversing Bad Habits

[Link] [Link]
 01

Table of contents:

02 Handling a Misconception in
Finland Math 07 The Taxonomy of Early
Mathematical Skills

03 Interaction with the Student

15 Practical Exercises

05 Make Math Visibleе

18 Conclusion and Tips

06 Math Anxiety and How to

Reduce itе 19 Authors
 02

Handling a Misconception in Finland Math

Finland Math is a holistic pedagogical approach to mathematics education. It
includes practical teacher guidance and a digital exercise platform. These are
crafted from best, scientifically proven practices used every day in thousands
of Finnish classrooms. Finland Math consists of six main features:

STUDENT-CENTERED
GROWTH-MINDSET
LEARNING

STRESS-FREE PERSONALISED
LEARNING LEARNING

MORE TIME FOR DEEP UNDERSTANDING

TEACHERS AND FOCUSED AND CREATIVE PROBLEM
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS SOLVING

These features help to create a creative and open atmosphere, where students
are able to realize their full potential.
 03

What is a misconception? not used in the class, the tools introduced in this guide are even more valuable.
With these tools, the teacher can pin-point the exact problem faster after
We refer to misconceptions as learning problems or mislearned strategies
receiving the real-time misconceptions report from Eduten Playground.
used to solve mathematical problems. In the best case, these problems can be
very small and might disappear on their own. That’s part of the natural learning
process. When the problems stick however, they require intervention from a
Interaction with the Student
teacher. Sometimes, when the problems are very severe, they might be even
neurological. These cases are out of a teacher’s scope and of course require a For a teacher, it’s important to remember to use the language of math when
special expert. instructing and guiding students. It’s also important to encourage students to
use the same language when they express themselves
Most learning problems originate from problems in early math skills. That’s why
this guide also concentrates on tackling those difficulties. If you try to push EXAMPLE
more advanced topics too early, the student will learn superficial strategies
and shortcuts that are not properly linked with knowledge. This in turn
increases cognitive load and strains the student, making it easy to forget what
“4.12” is not “Four point twelve”.
is: “Four wholes and twelve hundredths”

they’ve just learned. A student can’t build solid mathematical skills in more
advanced topics, if the foundation is not strong - or there is no foundation at Math is not about tricks. °
all! The sooner problems can be detected, interventions can be applied to fix
For example, in subtraction, it’s not good enough to say “always subtract
these problems.
from the larger number”, because that’s just a trick and is not mathematically
A digital tool, Eduten Playground, that was introduced in the Digital Pedagogy correct, as the next example shows. In Finland it’s very typical for the
Guide helps teachers detect and react to individual student needs. With the temperature to be +5 degrees in October. During the night, the temperature
°
differentiation tools provided by Eduten Playground, small misconceptions might easily drop 10 degrees, which ends up to -5 not impossible. Another
might even be overcome without any special actions from the teacher. common mistake is for example, to say that the product of multiplication is
However, if there are severe problems in students skills or Eduten Playground is larger than the factors, or that quotient is always smaller than the dividends
 Interaction with the Student 04

Connect the new topic at hand to previous knowledge.

It is easier for the student to understand the new topic if it can be linked with
a previously learned topic. Also, make sure that the previous topic is learned
completely before moving on. Without these connections, math becomes
just a set of separate tricks without deeper understanding or problem solving
[Link] students are struggling with math, they tend to guess the answers
while waiting for verification from the teacher. I’ve seen and experienced the
following situation numerous times:

T: “Okay, the next question 3+5 how much is that?”

S: “6?”
T: “No..”
S: “7?”
T: “No, try again”
S: “No, I know this, it’s 8 isn’t it?”
S: “9?”

Students will keep guessing as long as they get any kind of reaction from the
teacher. It is really easy to fall into this trap when practicing gets frustrating for
both parties. However, the solution is simple. Every time a student comes up
with a suggestion, ask them “Why do you think that?” or “How did you come
up with that answer?” or “Can you explain why?”. These questions do not
only block guessing, but they force students to become more aware of which
strategies to use as well as learn the language of math.
 05

Make Math Visible

Drawings and tangibles are irreplaceable in helping students to express
themselves, especially when their language is not advanced enough. They are
an excellent way to reduce cognitive load and to allow students to concentrate
on the task at hand. The same tools can also be used with high achieving
students. This way using these aids does not label students. For higher
achieving students, the problems just need to be more difficult.

In mathematical drawing, use easy to draw symbols like lines, crosses, circles,
triangles or squares to represent items. A teacher should set an example on
how to use drawings and tangibles to explain what they are doing. For example
the subtraction problem 5-2 could be explained as: “First let’s draw the total of
five [circles]. Then we need to subtract two, first one and then two [draw over
the circles]. Let’s count how many we have left, one, two and three. Five minus
two equals three”.

When teaching new topics, use simple examples with small numbers to
prevent additional strain on students’ working memory.
 06

Math Anxiety and How to Reduce it

Many students underachieve in math because they feel they are not good at
it. They also feel that being good at math is something that requires a special
kind of ability. This is called math anxiety. Math anxiety introduces a mindset
where a student believes that they can’t learn the topic at hand. Math anxiety
can stem from previous negative experiences with math. These negative
experiences can be remedied by improving a student’s sense of self-efficacy
through support and problems designed for the student’s correct level of skill.
With this mindset, the student won’t be pushing themselves to learn. Instead,
they will quit before they have even started. According to many studies, math
anxiety is more typical in girls than boys, but all children still do suffer from it
(e.g. Wigfield & Meece, 1988). To avoid math anxiety, focus on success. In order
to provide a positive experience, make sure to start with tasks that are easy
enough. Encourage students to try.

M IST A K E S A RE A VITAL P AR T O F L EA RNING A ND

E VE R Y B O D Y MAKES THEM

Growth mindset helps students overcome math anxiety. In math, there are
usually more than one way to solve given problems. Try to find out how the
student is actually trying to solve the problem. Eduten Playground helps
students learn to solve problems in different ways, and the differentiation
options have shown really good impact on lowering students math anxiety
according to multiple reports from teachers around the globe.
 07

The Taxonomy of Early 1. Number sense

• Recognising small quantities • Recognising greater/smaller/equal

Mathematical Skills
without counting (Subitising) quantities

• Approximation of quantities

As mentioned, more advanced mathematical skills are built on top of previous 2. Counting skills
knowledge. The relation is not always linear and some skills might develop at
• Cardinality, ordinality • Arabic numbers
the same time. Still, researchers have been able to recognize certain steps and
• Numerals • Connection between quantity,
key skills children should master. numeral and arabic number
• Counting objects

The first step to help children with difficulties is to find out what they have
already mastered and which skills still need to be developed. Learning analytics
generated by a digital learning platform, for example Eduten Playground, can
3. Understanding mathematical relations
provide insights into the problems students have without additional testing.
• Mathematical symbols: + - × ÷ = ≠ < • Compositions of numbers and
Sometimes fixing one missing link might be all that is required to get the
> calculations
student back on track.
• Comparison • Commutativity

• Classification • Place value, base -10 system

This chapter describes ways to find out where the difficulties are and the
following chapter will introduce some practical tips and tricks on how to
practise these skills.
4. Basic arithmetic skills

• Addition • Multiplication

Based on the work of Aunio & Niemivirta 2010; Aunio & Räsänen, 2016. • Subtraction • Division
 The Taxonomy of Early Mathematical Skills 08

1. Number Sense
Early Counting Skills
The ability to quickly recognize small quantities is called number sense. It
means that when you see three apples on the table, you are able to recognize
there are three apples without counting them first. The larger the quantity, the
5.5 yo Can continue counting on from a given number more difficult it is to recognize the exact number or items, especially if they
are not grouped. Number sense also allows us to recognize relations between
quantities: which group is larger and which one is smaller, or perhaps they’re
Counting objects correctly starting from 1 and ending
5 yo equal. The bigger the difference between two quantities, the easier it is to see
in last number that describes the total
the difference.

1. First find out if a child is able to recognize small quantities without counting.
4.5 yo Saying numerals and pointing objects synchronously
A dice is a good help here. Throw one dice and ask the child to name the
quantity as quickly as possible. Children who do not master this skill need to
Saying numerals and pointing objects but not count each and every dot separately. Usually they point the dots with finger
4 yo
synchronously or nod their heads.

2. Children should also be able to recognize greatest/smallest quantity easily.

3 yo Knows numerals but can’t use them properly Throw two dice and ask the child to pick the dice with greatest or smallest
quantity. Bear in mind, that the quantity could be equal as well. The greater
the difference between the quantities, the easier this task is.
Starting to understand quantities (Recognise and
2 yo
compare quantities, Number sense) 3. A good application for number sense is counting with fingers. A child with
good number sense is able to use fingers more efficiently than others. Ask
the child to “show X fingers”. If they need to count each finger separately,
Based on the work of Aunio & Niemivirta 2010; Aunio & Räsänen, 2016. their number skills are not adequate.
 The Taxonomy of Early Mathematical Skills 09

2. Counting Skills

Children at school age should be able to count with numbers 0 to 10. Typically
after the first grade they should be able to count with numbers 0 to 100 without
a problem. Counting skills require children to understand the relation between
quantity and number word. Also understanding of arabic numbers is usually
included in this category. Any problems with these skills reflect heavily on basic
arithmetic skills.

1. Lay out 5 to 10 objects (buttons, stones, pencils – they do not need to be

similar) and ask the child to count them. Children with advanced skills might
use grouping to solve the problem. They might separate 2 from the group
and recognize the rest to be 3 and state the answer “Five!”. Or some children
might be counting objects in twos “2, 4, 6, 8” and state the answer.

2. Ask the child to continue counting forward from a given number. For
example “continue counting forward from 5”. Stop them when you see fit.
You can see if they can get past 10. Counting backwards is more difficult
than counting forward. Repeat the exercise but ask the child to count
backwards. If this step goes without problems, start from any number
between 10-50 and repeat the experiment.

3. Repeat the previous step but this time ask to count in steps of 2 or 3.
 The Taxonomy of Early Mathematical Skills 10

3. Understanding Mathematical Relations EXAMPLE Relations between numbers, calculations and units.

Understanding mathematical The first exercise covers relations Which one is greater or are the items equal?
relations covers basic between numbers: greater, smaller Write < > or =
understanding of the base-10 and equal. The smaller the numbers,
1) 8 ___ 6 4) 8+2 ___ 15-3
number system, like being able to the easier this task is. When there are
2) 53 ___ 39 5) 3€ ___ 199cnt
compare numbers, understanding two calculations, the task becomes
3) 609 ___ 690 6) 39cm ___ 1.5m
that any number can be composed much more demanding. Final step is
in various ways and understanding to mix in different units. Use familiar
the place value on larger units. Problems in understanding In the next exercise we test whether the student understands that numbers
numbers. There are already some relations reflect insufficient can be expressed in multiple ways. This exercise could also instruct which
mathematical signs, like <, > and = understanding in arabic numbers, arithmetic operations should be used. For example, the first answers could be
involved. place value or units. 2·3=6, 2+2+2=6 and 9-3=6. For the second one there are more options. 128
can be made from 2·64=128, 27=128 or 256/2=128. Of course easier solutions
These tasks require pen and paper
would be 1·128=128, 127+1=128 and 129-1.
and some preparation. Every step
has an example exercise to give a EXAMPLE Understanding of compositions of numbers and how to form them.
better idea of the task. The exercises
are examples that can be used to Write the given number in three different equations:
find out if a student is struggling
with these basic skills. This is not
a standardized or validated test, 6 128
but gives an example what kind
of exercises can be used to unveil
difficulties.
 The Taxonomy of Early Mathematical Skills 11

The third exercise tests understanding of place value in the base-10 system. The
first two tasks are easier because they have fixed answer. The last two tasks
are more difficult because they have multiple correct answers. For the third
task, the answer can be 59 but it also could be 9 959. The same applies to the
fourth task, where the answer could be 3501 or 103 905. Problems finding the
proper place value will reflect on a student’s performance in multiple fields, for
example in columnar calculations, decimals and unit conversions.

EXAMPLE Finding the correct place value

Write the asked place value or number

1) Number 59 has ____ ones

2) Number 1097 has ____ hundreds

3) Number ____ has 0 tens and 3 thousands

4) Number ____ has 5 tens

The fourth exercise tests students understanding of magnitude of a number

and relations between numbers. In the first example, a typical strategy would
be to find the middle of 0 and 10. Any strategy that involves counting from
zero or ten, is lacking. A larger difference between the start and end of the
number line makes the task even harder. The exercise can be made even more
demanding by changing the start and end values to something completely
different, like -5 and 15. The given answer does not need to be exactly in the
 The Taxonomy of Early Mathematical Skills 12
correct position, as long as it is “in the zone”. For example the 8 in the first task. 4. Basic Arithmetic Skills
If it is placed somewhere little closer to ten than 5, it should be considered
Basic arithmetic skills start with addition and subtraction and how to recognize
correct.
and solve a problem written in math (1+2=3). This step also includes the ability

EXAMPLE Understanding the magnitude of a number. to solve word problems, which shows the ability to apply the mathematical
knowledge in a real life context. Also these tasks require some preparations
and pen and paper tasks. The following exercises can be used as examples.
Find the correct place on a number line
First we test students skills in four basic arithmetic operations. The second
calculation already requires passing tens and is thus more demanding than

0 10 the first question. The third calculation is again more difficult and solving the
5 3 8 missing number requires an extra step from students. The fourth calculation
requires students to be familiar with solving the problem in steps. First
divide hundreds, then tens and finally, ones. The fifth calculation is a basic
multiplication and the sixth and last question is again more demanding
because it requires an additional step to solve the problem.
0 100
40 75 10
EXAMPLE Using basic arithmetic facts to solve calculations.

Which one is greater or are the items equal?

Write < > or =

1) 3 + 5 = ____ 4) 428 / 2 = ____

2) 7 + 6 = ____ 5) 3 · 4 = ____

3) 8 - ____ = 3 6) ____ · 5 = 20
 13

If a child can solve basic arithmetic facts “immediately”, it means they mainly More Advanced Topics to Keep an Eye on
use an arithmetic fact retrieval strategy, which is an efficient way to solve basic
After the basic skills, there are some common topics that have proven to be
arithmetic facts and helps with advanced skills as well.
difficult for many students. Good basic arithmetic skills reduce the cognitive
Finally the basic arithmetic skills are tested with a word problem. This exercise load of the following topics and helps operating with them. Some of the
tests if a student can formulate a written task in mathematical form. If a difficulties, like decimals, percentages or unit conversions, are still based on
student has problems with reading, the exercise can be read out loud. Students poor understanding of number system or the base-10 system. Take your time
should have additional paper to draw on and make notes if they feel necessary. with these topics and give students concrete examples and time to practise on
If a student gives just an answer, please ask them to explain how they came up the following topics.
with the answer.
Order of Operations
EXAMPLE Text is read from left to right in western countries and children have learned to
solve mathematical problems (almost) the same way. In order of operations
Read and solve the problem: there are two difficult parts. First, not all operations are commutative, like 1+3,
Joe bought new pens. He now has six colorful pens. Ben decided to which can be solved by adding three to one or one to three. The student needs
buy two more than Joe. to know, which operations can be changed and which can not. Second, the
order of executing operations need to be learned by heart. There are usually
1) How many pens did Ben buy?
rhymes, poems and even songs to help remember the correct sequence.
2) How many pens do they have altogether?

“Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”, which means Parentheses, Exponents,

Multiply, Divide, Add and Subtract.

Students, who are not aware of the order of operations would solve the
problem: 3+5·4 with the following steps: 3+5×4 = 8×4 = 32. When the correct
solutions is: 3+5×4 = 3+20 = 23
 More Advanced Topics to Keep an Eye on 14

Unit Conversions

Unit conversions are based on the same base-10 system as numbers. I’ve seen
many early math books skip some units for example in length. By simply hiding
units like decimeter we introduce inconsistencies and tricks for students. Even if
we don’t use decimeters in exercises or in everyday life, it should be included in
the conversion table from the beginning.

Decimals

Decimals extend the base-10 number system to parts of one. It also extends the
number system that students use. However, it still follows the same principle
of the base-10 system and there is a place value for tenth like there is one for
tens. Use and extend the familiar base-10 table to include decimals. Currency
and measurements are a really good concrete way to practice operations with
decimals.

Fractions

Fractions extend the number system in use once again. Fractions are difficult,
because they represent a ratio rather than a fixed number. Fraction is also an
approved notation to write division. Tangibles are a great help to comprehend
the basic idea of fractions. Maybe you can spare a craft or an art lesson to
make fraction tangibles from different color cardboard up to parts of eight. It is
important for students to understand the relation between decimals and
 More Advanced Topics to Keep an Eye on 15

1 2
fractions. 0.5 is but can also be written as or any other fractions, where
2 4
the numerator is half of the denominator. Other important connections are:

1 2 4
0.1 = 0.4 = 0.8 =
10 5 5

1 3 1
0.2 = 0.6 = 1.0 =
5 5 1

1 3 2
0.25 = 0.75 = 2.0 =
4 4 1

Percentages

Percentages combine the difficulties of decimals and fractions. Percentages

present a ratio and it can be written in multiple ways. First it’s important to
realize that one percent (1%) is one hundredth. We already know from previous
1
topics that “one hundredth” can be written as 0.01 or . Now we have a
100
new shorter way to write the same thing: 1%
 16

Practical Exercises
There are lots of ways to practice or even individually with the student.
early mathematical skills and to Every student will benefit from these
overcome the problems mentioned exercises even if they don’t need
in the previous chapter. In this immediate support in mathematics.
chapter we give some examples
that can be used in class either with
the whole class or in smaller groups

Subitizing cards

These are cards that can also be one was greater/smaller. The idea
called flash cards. Each card holds is to show the card approximately
a certain number of items on them for one second so there is no time to
to describe a number. The idea is to count the number.
show the card briefly in front of the
class and ask which number was it. Many shops sell oversized decks of

There are numerous variations of playing cards. If you cut the edges

this. You can also ask whether it was (numbers) away, you have a good

greater than some other quantity. set of subitizing cards. If you are
“Was it larger than 5?” “Okay, but using Eduten Playground, you can
was it larger than 10?”. You can also download subitizing cards from the
flip two cards at once and ask which support section.
 Practical Exercises 17

Games with Dice Visual Aids

Dice are good for practicing number sense. The easiest step is just to throw Tangibles, like buttons and pearls can provide assistance for solving
a dice and come up with the number as fast as possible. More dice can be calculations. They take little space and can easily be grouped and moved.
added and the dice can be arranged according to the quantity to ascending Pearls in a string is an easy and portable aid for any student and can be self
or descending order. Multiple dice can also be used to practice addition. made in a craft lesson. It’s a good idea to have different colors for sets of five
for easier grouping.
One dice can also be used to practice ten-pairs. Ten-pairs are numbers that
added together equal ten. Knowing ten-pairs will help students with regrouping
later on. In this game, instead of saying out loud the number on a dice, the
student tells how much needs to be added to the number to get ten.

Oversized dice are a lot more fun than regular sized dice, and there are dice
with a various number of faces.

Board Games

Board games are excellent for practising number sense, counting skills and
social skills. Any board game is suitable, as long as they have dice and some
figures to move forward. For example Trouble (also known as Frustration or
Kimble) is a good example.

Students can even create their own board games in art lessons. Eduten For more advanced tasks a small hundred table can provide the aid students
Playground users can download our board game template from the support need. When you move from left to right, the number increases by one. Going
section. There are two versions. One with colors and one to be colored by from top to bottom increases the number by 10.
students.
 Practical Exercises 18

A hundred table with gaps in it makes a wonderful practise for students. Also an empty number line can help solving problems. For example in the
calculation 8+5 students can draw the solution as they like, either in steps of 1 or
larger steps.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

EXAMPLE
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

8 + 5 = 13
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

+1 +1 +3
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 8 10 13

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The arabic number system is a base -10 system. The place value of the number
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 dictates the magnitude of the number. Properly understanding the base-10
system, gives the student the ability to comprehend unit conversions, decimals,
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 area and volume, based on the previous knowledge. This system can be used
as an aid to explain, for example, regrouping or carrying numbers in columnar
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 calculations.

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
 19

and support students at every level. It also helps to acknowledge the possible
Kilo Hecto Deca Base Unit Deci Centi Milli difficulties the students might encounter and early signs that might indicate

1000 100 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 future struggles. Some useful first steps would be to try and implement as
many of the following tips as possible. Even one of them is better than none.

Tips

01
1km 1hm 1dm 1m 1dm 1cm 1mm

Embrace students own thinking and problem solving.

1kg 1hg 1dag 1g 1dg 1cg 1mg

1kl 1hl 1dal 1l 1dl 1cl 1ml 02 It is okay to fail – stay positive.

Conclusion
03 Sometimes it’s necessary to back up a couple of steps. Find
out where the problem is and start from there.

04
Every student is unique and they all have their own pace of learning. Classroom
teaching can sometimes seem at odds with personal learning. However, even Use real world examples of problems whenever possible.
with 30+ students in one classroom it’s possible to use good practices to try
 20

Authors
HE AD O F P E D AGO GY U N I V E R S I T Y LE C T U R ER UNIV ERSITY TEA CH ER
Eikka Kurvinen Erkki Kaila, PhD Jussi-Pekka Järvinen
[Link]. CS, MA Education University of Helsinki MA Education
eikka@[Link] [Link]@[Link] jpejar@[Link]

Eikka has trained thousands of teachers in the use of Eduten Erkki specializes in informatics education, research and Jussi-Pekka is a class teacher with special education proficiency. He

Playground. He’s also one of the founding developers from way pedagogy. He is one of the original developers of Eduten is currently working at the University of Turku as a university teacher

back in 2012. Playground. focusing on digital pedagogy. In 2019, he was elected as the University

Teacher Of The Year together with his colleague Aleksi Lahti.

Some other team-players behind Finland Math are:

A S S O C I A T E P R O F ESSOR
M I N D S E T E XP E R T
Mikko -Jussi Laakso, PhD
Makke Leppänen
Director of the Centre for Learning Analytics,
[Link]. of Psychology, MBA University of Turku
makke@[Link] milaak@[Link]

Makke has studied growth mindset and motivation psychology Mikko-Jussi has 20 years of experience in research based

at the University of Sydney. He has run a variety of teacher development of Finnish education with pedagogical and

training projects over the last 20 years. technological aspects, namely Learning Analytics.
 21

01
A U N I O , P . , & R Ä S Ä N EN, P. (201 6).

Core numerical skills for learning mathematics in children

aged five to eight years–a working model for educators
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(5), 684-704

02
A U N I O , P . , & N I E MI V IRTA , M . (201 0)

References: Predicting children’s mathematical performance in grade

one by early numeracy
Learning and individual differences, 20(5), 427-435

03
W I G F I E LD , A . , & ME E CE, J. L. (1 988)

Math anxiety in elementary and secondary school students

Journal of educational Psychology, 80(2), 210