subject: Is It Okay For Children To Learn Tables Relying On Times Tables Tricks Or Is There A Better Way? [print this page] Is It Okay For Children To Learn Tables Relying On Times Tables Tricks Or Is There A Better Way?
If you look in books and very often on the net you will find scores of maths tricks that say they help children learn tables.
Despite their good intentions these tricks can often be a hindrance in efforts to properly learn tables.
Here is an instance of what I mean, a times tables trick that is fun, yes, but also a barrier to learning at the same time.
The subject of the trick is the nine times tables and its tools are the fingers which children look at to reply to a times tables question.
The hands are held out in front with the palms facing away from you.
Let's do two times nine.
Count from your far left finger in to the second finger and drop this finger down.
How many fingers are you left with?
To the left of the finger you put down there is one and to the right there is eight.
One and eight which is eighteen and what is two times nine, yes eighteen.Let's do another one.
What is 4 times nine. The answer is 36.Let's use the trick.
Count in four fingers from the left and put this finger down.
How many fingers do you have to the left of the finger you put down? Three!
How many do you have to the right of the finger that you put down? Six!
So, three fingers and six fingers. Three and six which is what number? Yes, thirty six,
The answer to four times nine is thirty six.Easy?
Of course knowing the trick means that the answers to other nine times tables questions can be worked out using fingers. However, there are two problems with this as fun as it may be.
1. The trick can only be used for the nine times tables which means that if you are using tricks a whole range need to be learned for other times tables.
2. Each time you have to use fingers to work out a new answer so it is not an Instant Recall method to learn tables.
My friend's son loves this trick and didn't want to learn any other way for these tables.
This is a stumbling block when it stops children from learning something better.
How can you persuade your child to learn tables another way? You can show them this fun game?
Once upon a time my granddaughter asked me to play a game with her that involved throwing a ball to each other saying the tables.
This was great because it meant putting catching together with times tables and at the same time a great point could be made about the Nine Times Tables Trick.
In order to play the catching game for the nine times tables you need to know the answers instantly.
Why? Well you can't play the game and use your fingers to work out the answers.With this catching game you can show your children how important it is for them to know the nine times tables answers instantly.
The big point is that all children need to learn tables, all times tables, so that they know the answers instantly.
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