Walking number line design: body-scale number line plus desk-scale number line with figurine, using a four-step orientation-and-movement procedure¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 design),q2· 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study
Description¶
The design consists of a body-scale number line (a 20' × 4' paper roll displaying a number line from −5 to +5, with step-spaced marks and addition/subtraction signs at the ends) and a small number line (an 8.5″ × 11″ sheet with a scaled-down line and a puppy figurine). Students follow four steps: "start by standing on the first number in the problem"; face the addition or subtraction direction; "walk forwards if the second number (the addend or subtrahend) is positive and backwards if the second number is negative"; and walk as many steps as the absolute value of that second number. The operation is enacted as a shift in orientation and the second number's polarity as direction of movement.
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Signs marking addition and subtraction at the two ends of the body-scale line
- A figurine on the desk-scale line for re-enacting the walking solution
Constraints¶
- The material boundaries at −5 and +5 led some students to reject solutions outside that range, per the limitations section
Target Learners¶
- Grade 7 students in general education inclusive math classes, pre-identified as struggling with integer operations
Learning Goals¶
- fluency with adding and subtracting positive and negative integers
Claims¶
- Bnl Success Snl Coordination Breakdown [+M]
- Students who got stuck on the desk-scale number line proactively returned to the body-scale number line to validate their answers, achieving perspectival mutuality [+W]
- Walking the body-scale number line disrupted students' prior misconceptions and erroneous rules, which resurfaced when they returned to the desk-scale number line [+W]
- Students' errors on the desk-scale number line cluster on subtracting a negative number, with fewer errors on subtracting a positive from a negative or adding a negative to a positive [+W]
Related Designs¶
Examples¶
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Key Sources¶
- Jacqueline Anton, Dor Abrahamson. (2025). Walking the number line: towards an enactive understanding of integer arithmetic. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09707-w
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
walking-number-line-bnl-snl-design |
title |
Walking number line design: body-scale number line plus desk-scale number line with figurine, using a four-step orientation-and-movement procedure |
description |
The design consists of a body-scale number line (a 20' × 4' paper roll displaying a number line from −5 to +5, with step-spaced marks and addition/subtraction signs at the ends) and a small number line (an 8.5″ × 11″... |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-18 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — jacqueline-anton-2025 |
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