Times tables

[sherrardk]

Does anyone know of any good resources (can be web based) for getting our eldest son up to speed on his times table. He is already stressing about his SATs (year 6) and is most concerned about his tables. (We are going to practice the rote method, even though I think the school should have done it this way in the first place.) Thanks

[Halifaxmum]

chris - so do you think that it will hinder halifax son's career because he can't instantly do his times tables?!!

no disrespect to you at all, but i think you're not on the the track!

[mike11111]

I think you are being unfair to Chris. It may not hinder his career but may well hinder his smooth progress in maths, which in turn might hinder his chosen career, depending on its nature. There are certain things we learn instinctively to guide us safely and effortlessly through life, such as not poking one's fingers into an electric socket or trying to get a piggyback from a Rottweiler. I would put learning multiplication tables into a similar category. If Chris is on the wrong track, then so am I. I just hope that we are not steaming in opposite directions!

[Halifaxmum]

Chris - I am not dissing you (in the popular teen speak, i should've left off the 'g'?)

but do people need to know their times tables now? with excel, spreadsheets, on-line calculators...? it does it all for them?!

surely a good background knowledge is what they need?

[factor-fiction]

Hi Halifaxmum, I am a secondary maths teacher and on this topic I tend to agree with buenchico rather than with you, I'm afraid.
I find that in general a lack of knowledge of tables is a big hindrance to a student making progress in maths. It's very difficult to teach any topic in maths when pupils get stuck on simple multiplication and division. As Chris says, it detracts from the main topic being taught, whether it be algebra, area, fractions, etc. If a pupil struggles with simple calculations it tends to put them off maths generally.

I find division to be a real problem- so many pupils cannot divide 72 by 6, for example, whereas if you know your tables the answer should be clear straight away.

Yes, in real life we have calculators but in school and at work I feel you need to have a good appreciation of numbers and be able to do quick mental calculations without reaching for a calculator (or for most pupils now, a mobile phone). And of course there are some non-calculator papers at GCSE Maths.

[mike11111]

As Factor points out, division is the reverse of multiplication. If you can't do one you can't do the other, hence all the tears when trying to teach long division.

[Chaffinch]

For once I agree with all the teachers! Basic maths, will also help with the other GCSE subjects like chemisty and physics, as well as being very useful in later life.

[sophie_1003]

I definitely agree with the people saying rote learning is best; I didn't start rote learning until I was 7/8 and I now don't know my times tables at all and you definitely do need them in everyday life; they are the basis for all sorts of calculations and I definitely feel like I'm missing out by not being able to 'do' them instantaneously! Also; at uni we've been told that rote learning is perfectly acceptable if it is complemented by other methods of helping children understand multiplication.

[sherrardk]

We have gone times table mad today - he WILL learn them off by heart and then it will make the rest of his maths so much easier to get to grips with.

[tansika]

You will give practice to learn times table. Media URL: http://bforball.com/times-table.php
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