Imagine you were asked to 'read aloud' the 4 Times Table. What would it sound like? What would you say?
If you are a parent or carer, ask your child to tell you the '4 Times Table' if you get a moment and listen to what they say...... Is it the same as you expected?
If they simply 'count on' 4, 8, 12, 16, 20... then they may not have the automaticity required when solving equations, factorising or evaluating functions and beyond.
It is often 'number work' that pupils get stuck at - a momentary 'fog' when they are forced to pause and calculate - leading to a moment of uncertainty which can impact on their confidence.
Quick recall of multiplication and division facts is essential to feeling confident and making good progress in Maths but this is often misunderstood. Counting on is a method... but quick recall is the goal and learning the full phrase 'four threes are twelve' is just so important. Training the brain so that this fact can be simply RECALLED and not RECALCULATED avoids the horrible feeling of panic and being unsure in the midst of learning new Mathematical techniques.
Children must of course be exposed to concrete materials and pattern spotting when first investigating multiplication from an early stage. Deep understanding is key but at some point (once core links are established), reaching automaticity of multiplication facts is vital - and not simply 'counting on'.
Often pupils worry about Maths, they feel anxious about new topics, but in my experience it is often the 'pause' or seconds required to recall number facts that can cause the anxiousness - NOT the new Mathematics.
I have experienced pupils working at the highest levels of school Mathematics, having to 'count on' mentally while in the midst of algebra, trigonometry or calculus and beyond.
Encourage your child to recount the times tables as 'Three fives are fifteen' etc (even though it can feel tedious!) and then use fantastic links like below to develop these skills to help spot patterns, division links and beyond.
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