Mathematics Has Changed
One of the most frequent comments I hear each year from parents is that the teaching of Maths and the skills taught today are completely different from when they were at school. I could not agree more. I remember sitting at my desk as a ten year old, struggling with long division, wondering whether I would ever use it at anytime in my life. I decided on a firm "no". How wrong I was. Fourteen years later when undertaking my teacher training, I hesitated when asked to take the lesson on long division. I have since only used it on one more occasion That's not to say long division doesn't have a place anymore, but the skills taught, the way they are taught and the knowledge required to be successful in Maths have changed dramatically.
There is one aspect that has not changed however - basic facts.
What Are Basic Facts?
Basic facts are the facts required to ensure number problems such as 123 + 567 and 23 x 7 can be carried out either mentally or on paper. If we take a much smaller problem like 43 + 45, there are some key aspects of knowledge required in order to carry out this problem successfully. Firstly, a child would need to know the basic fact 3 + 5 = 8. They will also need to know 4 + 4 = 8 (or more accurately 40 + 40 = 80). Without this knowledge, there is no way they will be able to be successful at solving this problem. This basic fact knowledge, combined with a knowledge of place value, will allow them to calculate the answer accurately.
Why Are They Important?
There are 4 sets of basic facts - those involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. These sets of facts underpin all of the Mathematics we do in the classroom. Today I watched several children struggle to add a series of measurements. The students were required to measure the edges of a shape to find the perimeter. Whilst measuring was accurate, the students struggled to add the lengths because of a poor basic facts knowledge. The end result - out came the calculator. (There is a lesson in this as well...when things get too hard, make them easier so you can still be successful).
So yes...the basic facts underpin much of the Maths we do today; both as children and adults. Without a thorough knowledge of them you will struggle to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Without a thorough knowledge of them children will struggle to perform even the most basic of calculations. And without this knowledge in place, children will struggle to develop the mental strategies taught in New Zealand primary and intermediate schools. Whenever I have been faced with children who struggle with Maths in the classroom, or in after school tutoring sessions, the first thing I will check is their basic facts knowledge and recall. Usually when a sustained effort in learning these is applied, progress begins to be made, and often at a rapid rate.
One of the most frequent comments I hear each year from parents is that the teaching of Maths and the skills taught today are completely different from when they were at school. I could not agree more. I remember sitting at my desk as a ten year old, struggling with long division, wondering whether I would ever use it at anytime in my life. I decided on a firm "no". How wrong I was. Fourteen years later when undertaking my teacher training, I hesitated when asked to take the lesson on long division. I have since only used it on one more occasion That's not to say long division doesn't have a place anymore, but the skills taught, the way they are taught and the knowledge required to be successful in Maths have changed dramatically.
There is one aspect that has not changed however - basic facts.
What Are Basic Facts?
Basic facts are the facts required to ensure number problems such as 123 + 567 and 23 x 7 can be carried out either mentally or on paper. If we take a much smaller problem like 43 + 45, there are some key aspects of knowledge required in order to carry out this problem successfully. Firstly, a child would need to know the basic fact 3 + 5 = 8. They will also need to know 4 + 4 = 8 (or more accurately 40 + 40 = 80). Without this knowledge, there is no way they will be able to be successful at solving this problem. This basic fact knowledge, combined with a knowledge of place value, will allow them to calculate the answer accurately.
Why Are They Important?
There are 4 sets of basic facts - those involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. These sets of facts underpin all of the Mathematics we do in the classroom. Today I watched several children struggle to add a series of measurements. The students were required to measure the edges of a shape to find the perimeter. Whilst measuring was accurate, the students struggled to add the lengths because of a poor basic facts knowledge. The end result - out came the calculator. (There is a lesson in this as well...when things get too hard, make them easier so you can still be successful).
So yes...the basic facts underpin much of the Maths we do today; both as children and adults. Without a thorough knowledge of them you will struggle to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Without a thorough knowledge of them children will struggle to perform even the most basic of calculations. And without this knowledge in place, children will struggle to develop the mental strategies taught in New Zealand primary and intermediate schools. Whenever I have been faced with children who struggle with Maths in the classroom, or in after school tutoring sessions, the first thing I will check is their basic facts knowledge and recall. Usually when a sustained effort in learning these is applied, progress begins to be made, and often at a rapid rate.
How Can I Teach Them At Home?
Many children will develop a knowledge of these facts through simple exposure to them and through memorisation. If you have a child with an excellent memory, learning them will take very little time. Five to ten minutes a day learning and practising them with your child will be all it takes to start or continue developing the required knowledge.
However some children will require a lot more work for these facts to become memorised and placed into their long term memories. Here are some ideas that will help you to help your child memorise and learn their facts.
Addition and Subtraction
However some children will require a lot more work for these facts to become memorised and placed into their long term memories. Here are some ideas that will help you to help your child memorise and learn their facts.
Addition and Subtraction
- Learn all the basic facts combinations with answers up to 20 e.g. 4 + 5 = 9, 7 + 9 = 16
- Learn addition and subtraction facts at the same time - the Families of Facts e.g. learn 5 + 7 =12, 7 + 5 =12, 12 - 7 = 5 and 12 - 5 =7 at the same time by writing out the Family of Facts over and over again (route is best).
- Aim for knowledge then speed
- Once these have been mastered, help them to see patterns e.g. if 7 + 9 =16 then 70 + 90 = 160
Multiplication and Division
- Learn the 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x and 10x tables first
- Once these are mastered, learn the 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 11x and 12x tables
- Learn multiplication and division facts at the same time - the Families of Facts e.g. learn 6 x 9 = 54, 9 x 6 = 54, 54 / 6 = 9, 54 / 9 = 6 at the same time by writing out the Family of Facts over and over again (route is best)
- Aim for accuracy and speed
- Once again, when these have been mastered help them to see patterns e.g. if 6 x 9 = 54 then 60 x 90 = 540
Once the facts are memorised, you can then aim for speed of recall.
Please note that there is a difference between learning the facts and practising them. Learning involves memorising the facts. A great way to do this is by simply writing the Family of Facts (see above) out over and over again! Get your child to write the facts out and say them out aloud as they do. Facts are more likely to be memorised if a child is able to see the fact, hear the fact and write the fact out at the same time (this caters for visual, auditory and kinesthetic styles of learning). Practising the facts involves recalling the facts in computer games, using flash cards, worksheets etc (where they are only recalling the facts, not actually learning them).
Use a variety of methods to help them learn the facts but again...they will be learnt much faster if they can be seen, heard and written in some way.
If you need any more information on this, please feel free to see me in class.
Please note that there is a difference between learning the facts and practising them. Learning involves memorising the facts. A great way to do this is by simply writing the Family of Facts (see above) out over and over again! Get your child to write the facts out and say them out aloud as they do. Facts are more likely to be memorised if a child is able to see the fact, hear the fact and write the fact out at the same time (this caters for visual, auditory and kinesthetic styles of learning). Practising the facts involves recalling the facts in computer games, using flash cards, worksheets etc (where they are only recalling the facts, not actually learning them).
Use a variety of methods to help them learn the facts but again...they will be learnt much faster if they can be seen, heard and written in some way.
If you need any more information on this, please feel free to see me in class.
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