Do Good Parents Drill Math Facts?
Like any group of facts that must be committed to memory, math facts have to be practiced. Even the most gifted students have to practice math facts, and some math programs, school-based or commercial, demand extensive practice of facts as a pre-requisite to learning math concepts.
It seems good sense to say that you cannot learn higher level math if you do not know your multiplication facts. Most of the time, math experts agree.
However, some students who struggle with focus and working memory deficits, will not have math facts committed to memory until middle school. Some, depending on other factors, may not ever be "automatic" with math facts.
So, do you abandon drilling facts if your child has great difficulty or do you sentence him or her to several hours of drill each week at a math boot camp? As with most of instructional methods, moderation and creativity work best.
Students need spaced practice, and students whose working memories do not allow for easy retention need more spaced practice. The key word is spaced. Students will need to practice more over time, but not more at a time. We have to be honest and let students know that they will learn the facts eventually, but it will take their brains longer to get facts into their long-term memories.
Help Your Child Learn Math Facts
- Take a few at a time and work on them for several weeks. Have a variety of ways to practice, and practice backwards--what number added to four will equal nine--as well as straight up--five plus four equals--
- Let your child check work with a calculator.
- Use manipulatives and diagrams.
- Use the triangle card for fact families and practice filling in all three of the blanks in different ways.
- Allow your child to continue learning concepts even if the math facts are weak. Not allowing a child to progress in "math thinking" just because he has trouble with facts will only frustrate him.
- Stay relaxed and positive. Let your child know that eventually everyone learns math facts--and calculators are a great tool to check our work.