Coffee and Times Tables

TL;DR

Learning times tables is crucial for children's math fluency and understanding, with a focus on automaticity for deeper learning.

Transcript

good afternoon thanks for joining us today for this at Facebook lights live session my name is Paul and I work as publisher in the primary maths team at Oxford University Press and today we're going to be having a discussion about times tables in making specific reference to the times tables checks that are coming in in 2019 and 2020 for a year for... Read More

Key Insights

• 👶 Fluency and automaticity in times tables are crucial for children's math comprehension and problem-solving abilities.
• 🦻 Employing a mix of teaching strategies, from concrete to abstract representations, aids in developing a deep understanding of times tables.
• 💨 Observing teaching methods from other regions, like Shanghai, can offer insights into effective ways to teach times tables efficiently.
• 👶 Digital tools and online activities provide engaging and varied practice opportunities for children to improve their times tables skills.
• ⏳ Fostering a low-pressure, cumulative approach to teaching times tables from an early age helps children develop fluency and automatic recall over time.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is learning times tables important for children?

Learning times tables is vital as it is a key component of the UK national curriculum, promoting fluency and automatic recall, leading to a deeper understanding of math concepts and aiding in solving complex problems.

Q: How can teachers and parents help children achieve automaticity with their times tables?

Teachers and parents can employ various strategies like concrete, pictorial, and abstract representations, pattern spotting, digital tools, and practice activities to help children achieve automaticity in times tables.

Q: What are some insights gained from observing teachers in Shanghai teaching times tables?

In Shanghai, teachers focus on teaching times tables efficiently by not repeating commutative facts, emphasizing pattern spotting, common multiples, and using visual representations like rods and cubes for better understanding.

Q: How can digital tools and online activities support children's learning of times tables?

Digital tools like MyMaths offer engaging and interactive ways for children to practice times tables, with intelligent randomization, missing numbers puzzles, and varying question formats that aid in developing fluency and recall skills.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Times tables are a key component of the UK national curriculum, emphasizing fluency and automatic recall for a deeper understanding of math.

• Teaching times tables fluently leads to long-term memory retention and enhances children's ability to tackle complex math problems.

• Strategies like concrete, pictorial, and abstract representations, pattern spotting, and digital tools can aid in teaching and practicing times tables effectively.