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Many educators denounce what they call “drill and kill” (destroy students’ love of learning) rapid mental drills are a required foundation for doing more complex, and more interesting kinds of math. The only way educators have determined they can make learning automatic is practice. Several experts have noticed a wide gap in test scores between American and Chinese students. According to International test scores, this gap has been attributed to the Chinese schools’ relentless focus on memorizing math facts. When schools fail to implement these fundamental practices, students become closed off to higher realms of mathematics. A recent study in the Math Cognition journal found that most mistakes made by students working with complex math problems were due to a lack of automaticity in basic math facts. Typically, the developmental continuum for solving basic math problems and improving computational fluency moves from solid to abstract. This process moves from using fingers, to objects, to pictures, to symbols and then to memorization. By the end of the second grade, students should be fluent in their facts to 20. At this point, children should not be relying heavily on their fingers as tools, but working with multiplication worksheets. Here are some basic tools for teaching mastery. Adding Zero When you are adding zero you add nothing. Make sure the student has a firm understanding of this. Adding One (counting up) Adding one is saying the larger number, then counting up one number. This happens every time you add one. Never recount the larger number. Just say it and count up one. Adding Two (counting up two) Adding two means saying the larger number then counting up twice. Examples: 11+2=say 11 then 12 then 13, 45+2=say 45 then 46 then 47. Commutative property The Commutative property must be taught and reviewed. The answer will always be the same regardless of the order you add the two numbers. 9+6=6+9. Double numbers There are two good strategies for teaching double numbers. If the double is known, they use that and count up or down one to find the near double. Example: 4+4=8, 5+4=9 (count up one) or: 4+4=8, so 4+3=7 (count down one) Doubles plus two This method works when the addends differ by two. When this occurs it is possible to subtract 1 from one addend and add one to the other addend. This results in a doubles fact that has already been memorized, 7+5 becomes 6+6. Mental Math with Playing Cards (Number Sense) Predetermine the “rule” of the game, such as “Add 5” or “Double it.” Prepare a deck of cards by removing all the face cards and jokers. Then have the child turn over one card at a time and apply the “rule” then give the answer. Research has failed to identify any difference between girls and boys regarding math skills. Studies have concluded that girls receive less encouragement than boys when learning math skills. They are also affected more when having female role models opposed to male instructors. Regardless of gender, these basic math skills are needed as they advance throughout their learning career.
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Math facts, Multiplication facts, Multiplication worksheets, Multiplication games,
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