The aim of Numicon is to make numbers real for children through them being able to see and touch them. It fits in with the Maths Mastery approach that's used in many schools, providing a concrete object to represent each number. It also has a multi-sensory approach that's known to help learning.
Teaching and learning with Numicon requires children to be active - to actively learn and to do the mathematics for themselves. Doing mathematics (i.e. thinking and communicating mathematically) with Numicon, explicitly involves illustrating in every activity through exploring relationships.

Edmond Scannell is a Principal with over 25 years of teaching both Mainstream and Special Needs. He is a Certified eTutor and a FRIENDS Youth Resilience accredited facilitator with NEPS.