Commit Before You Calculate — Mathematics Years 4–6
Subject adaptation · Years 4–6 · Mathematics and Statistics · Field-Based STEM · Tony Jones
Before the working begins, the student has already decided something. Making that decision visible — and dated — is the difference between a completed exercise and evidence of mathematical thinking.
1Predict first
2Attempt the task
3Compare prediction and outcome
4Explain the gap
Strategy — Position First Protocol
Before any calculation, investigation, or problem-solving begins, students write a prediction: what they expect to find, and one reason for that expectation.
The prediction is collected or timestamped. Students do not revise it based on peer input or any tool before working begins.
Students work through the task using whatever methods are appropriate for the year level and the learning intention.
On completion, students write a brief comparison: was the prediction right, and what explains the gap or the match? Two to three sentences is sufficient.
The prediction and the comparison are assessed alongside the working as evidence of mathematical reasoning, not as separate tasks appended at the end.
Year-Band Practice
Years 4–6 · NumberBefore a multiplication or division problem, students predict whether the answer will be larger or smaller than a given number, and write one reason. The comparison at the end names what the reasoning missed or confirmed — not just what the correct answer was.
Years 4–6 · StatisticsBefore a data investigation opens, students predict what the data will show and name one reason their prediction might be wrong. The comparison becomes part of the investigation write-up, not an afterthought.
Years 4–6 · Measurement and geometryBefore measuring or constructing, students estimate and write down their reasoning. The comparison at the end names what the estimate missed — the reasoning behind the error, not just the error itself.
Implementation Notes
Decision checkpointThe prediction must be written before any working begins. If students complete the task and then write a prediction that matches their answer, the exercise produces no evidence of reasoning and should not be collected as if it does.
Teacher judgement noteA student whose prediction is wrong and who can explain why has demonstrated more mathematical reasoning than a student whose prediction was right but who cannot account for it. Mark the reasoning, not the accuracy of the prediction.
Related frameworksPosition First Protocol (core) · Friction Framing · The Decision Trace Conference
