About Numicon

Numicon is designed to help all children succeed in maths. It is created by teachers and experts in the field, based on a proven Concrete Pictorial Abstract approach.

The Numicon approach to maths supports mastery of content where students master a big idea before moving onto the next one through explicit teaching, explorations, and investigations based on the science of learning.

Numicon encourages children to explore maths using structured imagery and concrete apparatus, in order to understand and explain mathematical concepts. Numicon helps every child meet end-of-year expectations with formative assessment built in throughout.

You can use Numicon resources as a complete maths program or select elements to use alongside your existing resources to enrich your teaching.

The Numicon Approach

Numicon incorporates a multi sensory approach focusing on action, imagery and conversation. It uses a structured approach and structured images to represent numbers that are designed to illustrate number relationships and patterns in order to be able to make connections and generalisations.

It encourages students to communicate about the relationships and patterns using: Action – what we do; Imagery – what we see and hear; and Conversation – what we say. 

This complete mathematics program has been extensively trialled and covers number and algebra, patterns, calculating, geometry, measurement and statistics. Discover this proven approach for teaching mathematics, loved by both educators and students.

Numicon resources

There are dozens of hands-on items that are used in the Numicon program including the Numicon shapes, Cuisenaire rods, number lines, balance scales, feely bags, spinners and baseboards and pegs.

Numicon 1-10 shapes

Numicon uses a series of structured patterns – Numicon shapes – to represent numbers, as part of a progressive teaching program.
The 1 to 10 Numicon shapes form the early basis of the program and support students to create a visual concept image as they begin to represent number ideas. They also support students to know when to count and when not to count and to ultimately move beyond counting and into calculation, by seeing the shapes as whole numbers without relying on counting. Through manipulating the shapes and making connections between their concept image and new images they are introduced to, students are able to build connections between number ideas and patterns.

 

Numicon is produced by Oxford University Press. SkyRocket Maths is proud to be the exclusive distributor and accredited training affiliate of Numicon products in Australia and Pacific Islands (excluding New Zealand).