Great news about learning multiplication tables from @magicalmaths

climbing the dunes
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: edward musiak via Compfight

As the school year begins children in 3rd Class

will begin ‘climbing the table mountain’

and children in 4th will begin revising

the multiplication tables they learned in 3rd.

 

Good news from @magicalmaths who

shared this encouraging video on Twitter.

When I tell you the video is called

“How to Easily Memorize the Multiplication Table”

hopefully you will feel encouraged.

 

Scroll down this link and click on the You Tube video

by Professor Arthur Benjamin.

He cleverly reduces 100 number facts

of multiplication tables 1-10,

to just three.

Now, isn’t that good news !

 

The Importance of Learning Tables

I came across these articles online

and thought they makes a great case

for the importance of learning tables.

WHY SHOULD MY CHILD LEARN THEIR TABLES

Numbers
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Heather aka Molly via Compfight

We don’t learn ‘times’ tables until third class,

but what is said about them here also applies to

addition and subtraction tables:

WHY LEARNING TABLES IS IMPORTANT

If you have an older child who is

learning multiplication or division tables,

this site might be useful

HOW TO LEARN A TIMES TABLE IN A WEEK

I am filing it here for future reference.

It might come in useful to your child

in Third Class next year.

I also thought the following articles fascinating

and ‘food for thought’.

US STUDY: PARENTS ARE ASKED FOR THEIR OPINIONS ON LEARNING TABLES

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORIZING TABLES
How Parents Can Help Their Child Memorize the Times Tables

 

The Importance of Learning Tables

Tables are a basic essential for when learning mathematics.

Children need to master them.

Unless they do this…

it will be difficult for the children to learn other aspects of maths.
studying in math class
Photo Credit: woodleywonderworks via Compfight
Addition and Take Away Tables

are taught in 1st and 2nd class.

In this school tables to 6 are taught in 1st.

The class teacher revises these in 2nd

and then the children continue to learn

tables up to adding and taking away 12.

Multiplication/Division are taught in 3rd and 4th.

Regular revision of tables is part of the

5th and 6th class programme.

 

1st/2nd Class provide ‘a window of opportunity’

to learn addition/subtraction tables.

It is important to master these tables

by the end of 2nd because

• in 3rd and 4th the focus changes to multiplication and division.

• if a child knows their simple number facts

then they can give their full attention to methodology when being

taught new maths

 

If the children have the answers to the tables

at the tip of their tongue then they can concentrate

on learning the methodogy of new sums.

 

 

The children who know their number facts speed

through the maths worksheets in class.

 

Teachers can teach the tables, but

children really need to learn them.

 

Tables are regularly given as homework.

Sometimes children think that homework

of a ‘learning off’ type is less important

than written homework.

But learning tables is very important.

 

Teachers in 5th and 6th find they are

teaching tables that should have been

learnt in 3rd and 4th.

Teachers in 3rd and 4th

find themselves teaching addition

and take away tables to a number of their class.

 

Learning tables needn’t be done at the kitchen table.

You can work on them with your child on the journey

to and from school

or while waiting in the supermarket queue!
Let's-Go-Shopping
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: James Vaughan via Compfight
Knowing tables really helps when

children are learning new sums.

 

Children need to be able to rattle off

their tables like they know their own name.

Otherwise, though they understand

how to do a sum, they may make mistakes

in simple addition or take away.

Little Professor Hand-held Calculator
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: draggin via Compfight

Why not use a calculator?

Children can become over reliant on calculators.

They don’t develop estimating skills.

Keying in the wrong number can happen.

But because the student hasn’t developed estimating skills

they are then unaware when a particular answer is unlikely.

 

Failing to learn tables makes learning more complicated maths,

more difficult than it need to be.

If a child can automatically knows the answer

to a table then more difficult maths will be less challenging.

Teachers are finding that children think

they don’t understand a sum when

all that is happening is that they are

making simple mistakes in addition,

subtraction, multiplication or division.

 

This can be discouraging for the child.

Losing confidence in their ability can be demotivating.

Children may view themselves as someone

who doesn’t understand maths,

when in reality it is that they don’t know their tables.

Lollipop Sticks
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Juliette Culver via Compfight

Ways of learning

In 1st and 2nd Class we practise tables,

in a concrete way, using lollipop sticks and unifix cubes.

We also use the table book.

In school we use Joyce O’Hara’s Addition and Subtraction CD

from Ashton Productions

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION CD

 

In class we say ‘one and zero make one’,

one and one make two’…’one from six leaves five’.

In this way we use the same language as this cd.

squared
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Alice via Compfight

Children learn in different ways.

Many respond to working with concrete objects;

lollipop sticks, cubes, smarties.

Some children learn best by singing or chanting the table.

For some, keeping track of their tables on their fingers

(a kinaesthetic approach) helps.

 

Towards of 2nd class multiplication is introduced

as repeated addition.

In class the children learn about number patterns

and learn to count in 2s, 4s, 5s,etc., using the hundred square.

 

You may find these lively online videos from

Havefunteaching.com helpful

for learning number patterns.

NUMBER PATTERN VIDEOS

 

Children REALLY need to know their tables!

As is mentioned on the coolmaths4kids site

WHY LEARNING TABLES IS IMPORTANT

among the concepts in primary school maths

which children find challenging are long division and fractions.

In a typical long division sum, a child will need to

divide, multiply and subtract several times.

 

Working with fractions also need the ability

to add, subtract, multiply and divide.

 

Without knowing their tables, children will find this very hard.

 

From THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORIZING TABLES

How Parents Can Help Their Child Memorize the Times Tables

– Let your children see, that you place value on learning tables

and that you think tables are important.

– Show your child how quickly an answer should be arrived at!

– Find out what your child already knows. Once again the following

game is useful for checking tables.

BALLOON POPPING

-Focus on what they need to learn.

Involve your child in setting goals.

Monitor progress.

– Spending quality time together practicing.

Praise and encouragement are all motivating for your child.

Have fun!

Ambiguous Symbolism III : Numerous Options
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Chris via Compfight

New games for learning maths in 2nd Class.

Square Root of 558919216881Creative Commons License Bill Smith via Compfight

Here are some of our favourite games

for learning maths

This one is called Number Eaters.

It helps us learn our addition tables

and it is fun to play.

1. CLICK HERE FOR NUMBER EATERS

 

There are lots of other maths games on this site.

If Numbereaters is’nt for you why not try

2. PRINCESS MATH

 

3. BALLOON POPPING GAME FOR ADDING AND TAKING AWAY from earlier in the term
is also good.

 

4. Don’t forget the ‘Crossing The Swamp’ game also from earlier this year.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY:)

 

5. If you get tired of popping balloons you could try this one

MATHS MAGICIAN

 

6. THIS ADDING GAME IS BASED ON THE TV SHOW ‘WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?’

 

7. In 2nd class we also learn about halving numbers and doubling them. This game is good practice

Halves and Doubles

New games to help you learn your addition and take away tables

Here are some new games for checking

if you know your addition tables.

This one is called Number Eaters

and it is fun to play.

1. CLICK HERE FOR NUMBER EATERS

There are lots of other maths games on this site.

If Numbereaters is’nt for you why not try

2. PRINCESS MATH

3. GOOD FOR CHECKING THAT YOU KNOW YOUR ADDITION TABLES

4. BALLOON POPPING GAME FOR ADDING AND TAKING AWAY from earlier in the term

is also good.

5. Don’t forget the ‘Crossing The Swamp’ game

also from earlier this year.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY:)

6. If you get tired of popping balloons

you could try MATHS MAGICIAN

7. THIS ADDING GAME IS BASED ON THE TV SHOW ‘WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?’


A detail from Ryan’s colourful picture of the Northern Lights.