The amount that children now have to learn at school has increased and is now much greater than it used to be.
As a result, teachers do not seem to have time to help children learn times tables.
This leaves times tables learning as homework with a need for help from parents.
There is a lot of information on the internet about how to learn times tables.
As a parent, this is at best confusing; the problem is that you do not really know what works and what does not.
Parents do not have the time to research the best methods and so just choose what is readily available.
This is a massive decision, because of the impact it can have, which is often taken quickly with little thought.
Making such decisions more difficult is the fact that there are few studies that can be drawn on to help identify the very best methods of learning times tables.
Learning times tables well are a platform on which to build and flourish in mathematics.
Learning the times tables poorly can have a detrimental effect on mathematics progress.
This can then lead to a lack of confidence in mathematics.
So, to return to the beginning. What is the goal of times tables learning?
The answer is clear; parents need to help their children by using a method that has as its goal ‘instant recall’ of the times tables. Children need to be taught a method so that they know the tables without having to think about them.
The reason is that times tables affect so much mathematics learned later.
Times tables leads to division, long addition and subtraction, before building up to factorisation, algebra and a whole host of other maths, methods and concepts.
The simple and important thing is this; if your children use methods to learn times tables that do not enable them to know them instantly they will waste time trying to remember or calculating rather than being able to move on easily to the next maths subject.
This is such an important point to grasp.
To do this, try answering these quick questions – What is your name?
I am sure that you did not even have to think about that. Now let’s build this up – What is your and your partner’s name?
Did you manage to think about both as quickly as before?
Can you think of the answer to 8 x 7 as quickly?
Did that take a bit longer? Let’s build this up – What is 7 x 8 and 9 x 7?
Did you get both answers as quickly as you did your names?
Because 8 x 7 was changed to 7 x 8 for most people this will have taken a bit longer.
They have the same numbers and same answer, so why should you not know this and be able to answer as quickly? Because time is spent thinking rather then answering the question.
This simple exercise shows that your children need to know the times tables as well their own names.
If your children learn tables so that they know them as well as their own names they will find it easier to move on to higher levels of maths.
To gain a huge advantage in maths children need a method of learning times tables that results in them knowing the answers instantly.
Tags: addition and subtraction, algebra, detrimental effect, homework, important point, lack of confidence, Mathematics, maths methods, maths subject, times tables