Times Tables Tricks: For Visual and Hands-On Learners

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This step-by-step guide is for learners of all ages who:

• have tried (without success) rote learning methods based on repetition of whole multiplication facts
• enjoy active learning through discovery and experience
• have gaps in their times tables knowledge
• need fast and foolproof strategies to recall times tables in formal assessments, particularly timed ones
• may have a specific learning difficulty (SpLD), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADD/ADHD

The book works by:

• helping over-learn secure reference points in the times tables, from which more tricky facts can be worked out.
• validating alternative methods for learning times tables. Rote learning does not work for everyone. Using fingers is not a sign of cheating. For those who are self-conscious, the book’s preferred (but not exclusive) way of using fingers is gentle tapping on the table (instead of raising hands) to avoid attracting attention to oneself.
• offering multisensory instruction methods that help counteract the effects of weak sequential working memory and poor long-term memory for number facts.

How to use this book

• Only practise one ‘trick’ at a time (until its recall becomes fully automatic) before moving on to the next one. This is to avoid becoming confused or overwhelmed.
• Once you’ve learned a trick, practise it as often as you can: later the same day and in the following days and weeks. Share it with other people; use it as a family, class, or party trick. Test yourself during quiet times at home.
• The book doesn’t need to be read from cover to cover. You can dip in and out, starting with the trick that looks most appealing or makes the most sense to you.
• Different brains respond differently to maths methods. Don’t worry if some tricks don’t make sense straight away. Leave them for now, enjoy another trick, then come back to it later. It’s fine to learn only some tricks in this book.