Touching Points on a Numeral as a Means of Early Calculation: Does this Method Inhibit Progression to Abstraction and Fact Recall?

Throughout the years, several teachers have noticed that although some students are taught TouchMath at an early age, and seem to benefit from it, they continue to count on the TouchPoints in their middle and high school years. It is important to note that these teachers are referring to a small portion of the student population. However, to these teachers, and to Innovative Learning Concepts, Inc., the developers of TouchMath, addressing these concerns is essential. Therefore, this paper will briefly describe the TouchMath process, as well as provide sample research involving students’ understandings of mathematical concepts, as supported by research and developed through the TouchMath program. The TouchMath program will be demonstrated as a scaffold or instructional support that students can move away from when, and if, ready. Research involving the importance of visualizing numbers in predictable and structured ways, as well as developing and using counting procedures, will be presented as a way for teachers to modify their view of counting as a primitive, and unwanted skill. Finally, research involving 722 adult respondents, who are successful at highe