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amyable
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| Posted: Sept 13 2007 at 8:53am | IP Logged
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My 9yo (soon to be 10) is age appropriate or better in understanding the *concepts* behind math. But her memory for math facts lags sorely behind (as in, she still can't remember all the basic addition facts, let alone multiplication). She remembers some, wild guesses at others...things she knew one day she seems to forget, etc.
I have faith that she will eventually remember most of this, well enough- although eventually may be at 16! 
My question is about "the meantime". I keep thinking it would be OK to just give her an addition chart and a multiplication chart, and let her look up the answers as she is doing the harder problems, so that she isn't taxing her brain searching for facts she doesn't really know, while also trying to remember the steps for say, long division. Either that or a calculator.
Help me get over the idea that we are somehow cheating by doing this! Has anyone done this and the child eventually learned the facts just from shear repetition of doing math? Both dh and I come from a very "memorize and spit it back" background, and we are both good in math, so we think THAT is how it must be done. Old tapes in one's head are hard to erase, huh. 
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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cfa83
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| Posted: Sept 13 2007 at 9:13am | IP Logged
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Hi Amy,
Forget the tapes! Do it! The Bluedorns from Trivium Pursuit encourage having the kids use charts while they do their math. They said their own kids usually did so for about 3 years until the kids themselves felt they didn't need them any longer. Remember, this is not a race.  Our own babies listened to us for quite awhile before they stated making their own sounds. Those sounds eventually became words.
I want my kids to feel sooooooo comfortable as opposed to a forced task that becomes a unwanted chore. We do math facts using charts, jumping on the trampoline, using dice. Anything for variety so they get it in different formats and it's still enjoyable.
They can and will memorize and have the spit it back background. Let them wade in the math pool for sometime. There is no hurry. It will happen. Give them all the tools they need to be sucessful. After a while, they will experience they will not need to look up what x times y is but they still will need to look up c times d. Eventually it will wean itself off. Those facts will be cememented. If you have patience, you will see the fruit grow.
Your kids will arrive at the same endpoint of memorization, just a different road to get there.
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Linda
Married to an incredible man, mother to 6 precious (and I mean precious) children: Grace, Michael, John, Faith, Hope and Andrew
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: Sept 13 2007 at 1:02pm | IP Logged
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Amy -
I agree that you should let her use the charts. For some of my dc, it was more of a security blanket. At first they looked up the answers, but in the end decided it was faster just to learn the facts. They went through a phase where they wrote the answer from memory and looked it up just to be sure. Eventually they weaned themselves from the charts. She WILL learn the basic facts because she will become impatient with the time expenditure involved in looking things up all the time!
Peace,
Nancy
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Sept 13 2007 at 9:49pm | IP Logged
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*Definitely* let her use the charts! This is not a grade school math class test. There *is no* cheating. A chart is just another tool that you have available for her. 
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Leonie
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| Posted: Sept 17 2007 at 3:06pm | IP Logged
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And children often pick up their facts through familiarity with and use of facts charts - that is how one of mine learned his multiplication tables!
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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marihalojen
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| Posted: Sept 19 2007 at 8:17am | IP Logged
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Every classroom has a multiplication chart and the abc's posted on the wall, lots post individual charts on the kids desks even! I was a teacher that taped lots of stuff to the desks including the times tables.
Though my dh can't stand that idea and ran dd through an intensive month long flashcard course. Miserable at the time as he involved the whole marina and we couldn't even step off the boat without some person shouting "What's 3x7?" at us. But Marianna got the facts down cold, and dh surprised her with a dinghy of her own when she could recited them with less that 2 seconds for each fact. She promptly named it "7x8" which was her hardest fact to remember.
He was happy, she was happy and peace was restored.
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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TracyQ
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| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Oh, THANK YOU for this thread! My daughter has the WORST time with her facts, and we've tried many things to help, but I never even entertained allowing her to use charts to help her, and that they might even help her LEARN them! I'm willing to try this to see how it helps. We could also still play games and such to help her learn too, but the stress won't be there daily. 
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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I am glad to read these ideas, too. Thanks!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Courtney
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| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 9:56pm | IP Logged
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I am happy to see this thread and these ideas as I was concerned about this recently with one of mine. Jennifer, I laughed when I read about how your dd learned her multiplication facts and how she came up with her dinghy name. I think my dd would name hers 8X8.
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Courtney in Texas
Wife to Mike since 3/94
Mom to Candace 10/97,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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4Real Forums : Living and Loving Numbers
Topic: Late bloomers in math facts...
