There is an interesting article on about.com (mathematics) related to learning times tables.

 

Deb highlights how essential it is for a child to learn times tables well for both school and for their later lives. She points out that with increasing curriculum content teachers have little time these days to make sure that children have really learned the tables well

 

As the Tables are a fundamental building block to learning maths and to being a success in school and in life this lack of time could have a very negative affect on your child’s performance.The article therefore outlines a range of methods that parents can use to help their children learn times tables. The sentiments of the article are commendable and it would be worthwhile exploring these further by identifying some important matters that will help parents help their children learn the tables.To do this we will go through the solutions offered by Deb Russell’s article

 

Skip Counting – One solution the article offers is skip counting where you use your fingers to count as children learn by counting l, 2, 3 etcWith skip counting, as a child can count, 2,4,6,8,10 or say 10,20,30,40,60 with their fingers it is said to be a good method to learn times tables. Early learning of number patterns using fingers to count 2,4,6,8 of 5,6,15 is certainly a good idea. It gives children something physical to do, however, later on when you want your child to instantly know a Times Table, for example 7 x 5; it is of no help at all.In fact if you go through your fingers to find the answer this really slows you down in trying to get to the answer. What is needed is a fast method of learning, one in which the answers are recalled in an Instant.

 

Doubles -Another suggestion in the article is to learn the ‘doubles’ 3 x 3, 4 x 4, 6 x 6 etc. The idea being that if you know 6 x 6 = 36 it is easier to work out the 6 x tables above it.This method encourages a slow method of learning the table.A child needs to learn times tables to get the answer in an instant.

 

The article suggests using rhymes to learn times tables, linking music and rhythm to learn the tables.To be blunt with this method children do not learn in a way that gives the answer to a particular times table in an instant.With rhyme for a child to tell you the answer to a particular table they have to work their way through the rhyme and this again takes time.

 

Joint learning of opposites – Let me say at once that this method holds the beginning of what is the key to a child being able to learn times tables with Instant Recall. The joint learning idea is simple, for example when you learn say 4×6 you also learn 6×4 at the same time, and the same goes for all other tables.All tables and their opposites go together when being learned as this considerably reduces the effort and the time needed to learn the Tables.What is also needed is a strategy for your child to learn times tables in an efficient way.The Learning Well puts forward just such a strategy.

 

Conclusion – Other than the last method that children can use to learn times tables these ideas take a lot of time and effort, are not particularly effective, and do not result in an ability to learn times tables with an Instant Recall ability.To really learn times tables well and to the answers without thinking about them what children need is a method by which they can know them with 100% Instant Recall.

 

The joint learning of times table opposites points towards a clear strategy and method of learning the Tables that results in 100% INSTANT RECALL for your children.

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